Beauty and the Beast (On Short Hiatus)
by Copper Nitrate
Summary: Izaya thought he could hold in the pain. Being abused by his father was normal - he was supposed to be used to it. But when his father starts crossing the line, the glass starts to shatter - and Izaya finds himself calling the beast of Ikebukuro in the middle of the night. "Save me, Shizu-chan." If this was a love story, it was a painful one. Warning: Abuse, depression.
1. Orihara Izaya

**Full summary: Orihara Izaya, a rather questionable high schooler, is a boy who loves the human race except two people – his father, and the beast of Ikebukuro, Heiwajima Shizuo. Concealing the bruises on his body and within his heart, Izaya lives to simply protect the remains of his life. However, when his limit is near, Izaya breaks off slowly and painfully. "Flea, what are you doing?" Running to Shizuo was the last thing he thought he would do… but before he could realize, Orihara Izaya had become completely dependent on the beast. Their twisted fate is to end with… Warning! Abuse, depression, yaoi.**

 **A/N: So… this is my first Durarara! Fanfic, and to be honest, I didn't finish the anime, but I couldn't stop myself from writing this, after looking at the website's variety of stories (with me gaining inspiration to write this in the process). Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1 – Orihara Izaya**

 _Rrrrrrriiiinnnggg!_

"Hmn…" Stirring on the floor, Orihara Izaya's morning folded up in discomfort. When he opened his eyes, the whole room was dark. He was pretty sure he had slept on the bed (remarkably speaking) – so why did he end up on the floor? Placing his arms over the mattress, until he felt a small figure on the tip of his fingers. Quickly retaliating in slight surprise, Izaya stood up. Then, he eventually smiled as he caught sight of his two little sisters huddled next to one another on the single bed. No wonder he ended up falling on the floor.

Not bothering to open the curtains, Izaya silently changed into his uniform. Despite the fact that his sisters had their own room, they rarely ever slept there. They didn't like being alone in their rooms. A sense of vulnerability was to be felt, even when they were children, Izaya hypothetically assumed. They were still six years old, though – considerably young to comprehend anything.

The raven cautiously tiptoed down the staircase. He grabbed an apple on the counter, and saw the living room (that he just cleaned up yesterday) covered with pieces of clothing that definitely didn't belong to him or his siblings. Izaya came to a simple conclusion – his father brought in a new woman.

"Not my business." He grumbled, hurling his bag over his shoulder and exiting the apartment. Raira High school, the school Izaya was currently attending, was quite nearby. It wasn't like the raven particularly enjoyed attending school, but he liked observing people. People amused him, and lightened up his day.

Of course, that was with the exception of one special student.

"Hey, flea." A low growl tickled the back of Izaya's neck. He turned back as a wide smile spread across his face.

"Mornin' Shizu-chan!" Izaya quickly avoided a fist that headed towards his stomach. "Arara, why is my dear Shizu-chan so angry today? Woke up on the wrong side of your bed? Maybe suffered from diarrhea due to the medicine I put in your lunch yesterday? Haha, or maybe it's both?" He skillfully dodged another kick and ducked as he got close to Shizuo's face in an instant.

"You fucking –" The agitated blonde got hold of the nearest weapon possible – which just happened to be a desk – and threw it towards Izaya. Izaya laughed, entertained by the delicious reaction of the latter. As the desk crashed into the wall, several students scooted away from the two. It wasn't until a significant other interfered their fighting, and that was no one other than Kishitani Shinra.

"Hello, Shinra." Izaya chuckled. "It's a beautiful morning, don't you think?"

"I would've agreed, only if this classroom looked more… organized." Shinra shook his head, exasperated. "What do you think you're doing, irritating Shizuo in the morning?"

"Well, you see, all I did was say hi to him in the hallway, you know…" Izaya scratched his head. "And then Shizu-chan suddenly tried to smash my head into the wall. Out of self-defense, don't you think anyone would attempt to run away?"

"Yeah, thanks to you, I didn't get my _fucking_ sleep." Shizuo growled, but Izaya just beamed.

"You think of me during your sleep? My, my, Shizu-chan, I never knew you loved me that much."

"Fuck this shit, Shinra. I'm gonna slaughter him."

"Hold it in, Shizuo."

This was Orihara Izaya's daily routine. Meeting a frustrated Heiwajima Shizuo who threw furniture at him, and then going back home to deal with a really long afternoon. His life had no mutual joy, but in it there was the minor things that made him live on – like his sisters… his sisters, and his sisters.

He heard the chalk tap on the board. "Orihara-kun, please focus." Izaya glanced at the teacher in a slightly defiant manner, but then just smirked and twisted his position and sat properly. Heiwajima Shizuo was snoring in the corner of the classroom, while Celty and Shinra chattered in hushed tones to one another.

During lunch, Izaya went up to the school's rooftop, as usual. He didn't like to eat, so he never did except when it was absolutely necessary. Of course, Izaya didn't favor having unhealthy diets, but it was to save up his weekly allowances. It wasn't much, but he got a portion – and it was also the only thing his father ever gave him.

He stared down at the students that were loitering around the field. _Because they are in groups, they can go on. It's either that their friendship is an excuse to exclude themselves from the remainder of the student body, or true friendship… friendship is a form of love. But what can truly define love?_ Questions like that tended to invade Izaya's mind, and eventually time passed until it was the end of lunch. However, unlike usual, he got a text message in the middle of his trail of thoughts. Izaya frowned as he pulled out his cell.

 _From: Father_

 _To: Me_

 _Subject: Grades_

 _Your math grade went down. Prepare yourself when you return home, ignore your curfew. You're grounded until your next test._

Izaya cursed. "Shit." He had his reasons – really, nobody would be in the right mind to study after being beaten for hours, a week straight, too. His father never aimed for the face though, just for the reason of the school never finding out. Izaya didn't bother to report it to the school either, because then nobody would be capable of covering the tuition fees for his sisters, or even his. Instead, the raven would always wear the school's blazer, whether it was winter or summer.

" _Is something wrong?"_ Celty approached him with her PDA. The female always had the device with her – it was a birthday present from her boyfriend, Shinra. She was an urban legend of Raira high school, the headless rider. She always wore a helmet wherever she went.

Izaya chuckled. "Hello, Celty. And no, it's nothing."

The female quickly resumed to typing. _"You never curse, though. And you definitely went pale."_

The male smoothly made up an excuse at the spot. "I forgot that had to do the laundry yesterday, and thanks to that, my sister has nothing to wear. Man, she really wanted to go to that festival thingy. Oh well." Izaya could see the black, shadowy smoke twirling inside the helmet – and he got a feeling that Celty was dubious.

To his relief, the bell rang, and they were to return to class. The female never questioned him about the excuse again, and met up with Shinra in the hallway again. Izaya recalled what Celty had mentioned – that he went pale. _I should be a little more aware of my surroundings next time. I can't manage to let someone know about my current situation._ Lost in his own warnings, Izaya didn't realize that he bumped right into the one and only Heiwajima Shizuo.

"I ~za ~ya ~kun~?" The blonde in front of him grinned, a sense of evil hidden behind his delightful expression.

 _So much for being aware of surroundings. Great job, Izaya._ The male thought to himself, as he quickly dodged a punch and jumped backward. "Shizu-chan, if you stand in the middle of nowhere, there is nothing I can do about bumping into you, you know?" The raven smiled, as Shizuo glanced at the other students that were walking back to class. He definitely didn't care about being late.

"Fuck you." He muttered under his breath, and plunged forward. Izaya then moved to the left, until he quickly hurled himself to a stop as he felt the nerves of his ankle pull as pain swept through his body. He had completely forgotten the fact that his ankle was badly twisted the other day, during his father's minor 'disciplinary' sessions. As a result he crashed into the wall behind him, and then fell to the ground. Shizuo blinked, not expecting the sudden accident.

"Geez, Shizu-chan…" Izaya rubbed the back of his neck. "I know you love me, but I don't think we're at the point to play bondage yet. How about later? I don't really want to be late to class, unlike you."

His small worries were quickly replaced with anger, as Shizuo stomped into the class and slammed the door close before Izaya could place his foot in the room. Izaya lowered his hand the handle again, and paused a little as the bell rang. He gritted his teeth as his lips curled upward. _I really hate Shizu-chan._

Then he slipped into the classroom, as if nothing happened.

* * *

"I'm back."

As soon as Izaya opened the door, he saw red high heels of another woman. His sisters then poked their heads out from the nearby wall and rushed to him and hugged his legs. "Onii-chan, daddy is mad again." Mairu whispered, clutching his pants.

"Is that so?" Izaya sat down on the floor, ruffling both of their hair. "Well, that's not so good, isn't it? You two go up to your rooms, and I'll check up on both of you later. It's not good to be down here when daddy is mad, right?"

"But daddy doesn't like onii-chan." Kururi said bluntly. "He'll hit you until onii-chan can't walk for hours, like last week." It was easy to distinguish the twins based on their personalities, Izaya always thought.

"Well, that's not what you girls are going to worry about. Now go up to your rooms, and onii-chan will talk to daddy. Don't _ever_ come down, understand?" He narrowed his eyes at them, making sure the last point was clear to both of them. The two girls nodded and tiptoed past the living room and went back upstairs.

In the living room there was his father, along with his girlfriend that was sitting on the couch. His father's smug smile made Izaya burn from the inside – and Izaya rarely responded to emotions. "You called, father?" He finally spoke up, interrupting the small, affectionate scene. Orihara Shirou was the name of the man. His nose crinkled in disgust as he heard the latter's voice.

"Darling, let's talk a little later, shall we? My… son is back. How about getting some fresh air for an hour outside? I have something to talk about with him, and I bet you don't need to see such an unsightly thing that is about to happen. Your eyes will rot away." The woman sneered at that. Izaya hated both of them. He didn't know who he loathed more – his father, who had casually gotten a new girlfriend and turned abusive after his mother's death, or this girlfriend that acted just like his father.

The woman gave Izaya's shoulder a teasing squeeze before exiting. Izaya looked down on the floor and just waited until she departed. In a sense, he had hoped that the woman wouldn't go out. Then he would be able to avoid his father's lashings, and go up to Mairu and Kururi and play with them, do homework, or at least something productive. Not being beaten up just because his math grade dropped from an A plus to an A.

"You see, Izaya…" _Oh, here it comes._ Izaya inwardly rolled his eyes. "When I was your age, I never failed to get straight 100s on my report card. Nor was I ever late to school… yes, I was the role model of every student, and the favorite of every teacher." The man paused, and at the most unexpected moment, he kicked down Izaya ruthlessly towards the floor. "And what did you display to me? Look, Izaya, who's paying for your school fees?" His foot came in contact with Izaya's stomach, and the boy just coughed. He hated that he was so powerless against his father. Why couldn't he fight back? Wait, of course – it was because he could never win against his father, with words, with mentality, or with physical strength.

Another kick flung towards Izaya, and the boy rolled back towards the wall. His whole body instinctively curled into a small ball, as his father simply held him by his neck and strangled him a little in the air. The raven gasped for breath, clawing against his father's frightening grasp. The burly man then pushed Izaya's whole body as it crashed against the corner of the wall. Izaya coughed a little blood, helplessly landing on his elbow as his head knocked into the beginning of the stairway.

"Ow…" He grumbled. _Geez, all these Asian stereotypes are killing me._ He panicked slightly when he found his eyesight going slightly white as he found it difficult to breathe. It was something that happened often, but Izaya really never got used to it. Nobody was capable of being used to pain.

Then suddenly, a scream ripped out from Izaya's throat as his father beat him down with the nearest material possible, which somehow turned out to be a picture frame. Those things seemed harmless, unless you were attacking someone's ribs with the corners of it. His father threw the frame on the ground, as the glass shattered, covered in blood. Some glass shards pierced right through Izaya's skin as it fell to the ground. His father didn't give him a second glance, as he proceeded to calling his girlfriend again.

Izaya grunted a little as he tried to exit the living room as quietly as possible. He was glad that his sisters' room was at the end of the corridor – he didn't want them to hear him come up, just yet. He walked to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror, and realized that he looked like shit. He had glass shards on the left side of his body, and his skin was drained of life. He had a purplish-blue bruise forming around his neck, which Izaya had no idea how he was supposed to create a believable excuse for.

"Well, I can think about that later…" Izaya mumbled to himself, as he pulled out the glass shards slowly with his hands. Blood freely flowed out as soon as he removed all of them, and the stingy feeling of alcohol made the male hiss now and then. He bandaged everything up, and put his shirt back on. His whole torso was dotted with bruises that were just making an appearance, especially his back – man – it looked terrible. Due to his back crashing into that corner, he had a very long bruise going down all the way from the bottom of his neck to his lower torso, along with other bruises that surrounded it.

Izaya just sighed, and then finally moved to greet his sisters. The two girls looked scared out of their minds, just like every other day when they could hear Izaya being beaten up downstairs. The raven could really, just escape a place like this, and his father wouldn't care – but for the sake of his sisters, he couldn't manage to pull off something like that.

Mairu was the first one to speak up. "Onii-chan, your whole arm looks blue."

"Does it? Well, do I look like one of those monsters on television? You know, with blue skin and everything… the Avatar, maybe?" He suggested, but his sisters had a dissatisfactory expression plastered over their faces. Izaya finally dropped his smile and lowered his arms.

"Onii-chan?" Kururi's voice shook. "Will daddy hit us too?" Izaya stiffened, just at the thought of that. There was no way he was going to allow that to happen. But the fear in their eyes just looked so real, so heart wrenching to watch. The two girls were the only reason Izaya didn't give up on his own life. They were the only ones that he valued, and the only ones that he remained loving on the surface of Earth. Humans were definitely an entertainment, but that didn't give him a certain cause to continue living. Izaya pulled the two girls in an embrace.

"Let's go to sleep, girls. Daddy isn't going to hit you two, as long as I'm around. So let's go to sleep now, shall we?" Izaya whispered into their ears. It was still seven, but it didn't matter. He forgot to do his homework, but that didn't matter either.

Izaya wanted to rest.

* * *

The next school day, Izaya's whole body ached and trembled in discomfort. When he looked at his own body in the mirror, his face crunched into a grotesque expression. His arms were either the shade of black or dark purple, and some red and yellow. The bruise on his neck was more visible than ever, and it was too warm for anyone to wear a scarf. He guessed he had no choice but to say he slipped when he walking, landed on his neck, or got into a fight… yeah, that'd probably work.

Small bruises were still visible on his wrist, even after wearing the school's blazer. Izaya was too exhausted to even care, and just went out.

"Flea, it's a great morning, isn't it?"

Izaya almost glared viciously in agony, but managed to keep his poker face. Heiwajima Shizuo was the last person he wanted to see for the day. The blonde had his usual monster-like expression. "You went off yesterday before class, didn't you? Well, today I'm –" The blonde stopped midway during his sentence as he caught sight of the purple ring that was around Izaya's neck. It took his no more than a few seconds to realize that it was bruise – hand-shaped, too. "… What the fuck, Izaya?"

"Hey, Shizu-chan." Izaya heard his voice that day for the first time – and damn, he sounded terrible. His voice cracked between the syllables, and his vocal cords seemed to be vibrating through his whole neck, sending a sensation of pain throughout his whole throat. "Do you like my necklace?"

"Don't irritate me, flea." Shizuo grumbled, as he approached the latter. Izaya's heart skipped a few beats as he took a few steps backward defensively towards the wall, trying not to lose his calm. Hate swept over his body, but there was simply no way he'd let that show. "What are you doing during your free time?" The blonde growled, as he examined Izaya's whole body more carefully. Shizuo wondered why his body tingled with concern and anxiety, as he spotted more and more wounds on Izaya.

"And why does Shizu-chan need to know?" Izaya smirked, licking his bottom lip. "I have my own business to take care, now and then. Although, I am flattered about the fact that you are going as far to worry about me." Shinra and Celty just happened to be walking by the scene. Shinra blinked, and then his eyes widened as he witnessed the wound for himself.

"Izaya, your neck –"

"It's my new necklace. No big deal."

" _You're great at spurting nonsensical lies, Izaya."_ Celty typed into her PDA. Izaya chuckled with joy.

"Lies? What are you talking about? I always speak of the truth." He replied, as Shinra sighed.

"Izaya, you need to go to infirmary and apply some medicine. Look, if you don't want to go, I can take you to my house right now, despite the fact that we're going to be late, and then come back, call up the teacher based on your condition, and –"

"Shinra." Izaya interrupted the male. "I'm fine."

 _Yes, I'm fine._ Izaya convinced himself, as he walked away with peace and determination.

However, neither Heiwajima Shizuo nor Orihara Izaya knew – that the glass breaking wouldn't be so far away.

* * *

 **A/N: I don't know when the next update will be, but here it is. I hope all of you enjoyed it.**


	2. Heiwajima Shizuo

**A/N: Guys, thank you for all your support! Here is the update that you wanted! Yay!**

 **Also, I added in some information that is solely for the purpose of the story. I do not own the characters of Durarara!, or the story plot of it.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2 – Heiwajima Shizuo**

If there were a phrase that could describe Shizuo's feelings at that exact moment, it would've been something that was within the boundary of uneasiness and abhorrence. Especially when Orihara Izaya snapped at Kishitani Shinra out of all people, (Shinra was about the closest person that could ever be labeled as Izaya's best friend) Shizuo knew there was something going on.

Everyone in the hallway, for the next few days, whispered at Izaya and the bruise around his neck. Rumors went around with several gossip materials – maybe that the raven could secretly be associated with a gang, or was doing some uncanny business at night… It was exactly what Heiwajima Shizuo wanted, Izaya being badmouthed by others and broken by the humans he loved so much – but not exactly in this form of action.

But Izaya's neck soon found its original color, and the rumors gradually lessened after that as well. The black-haired male didn't seem to care in the slightest – in fact, if Shizuo had to say, the gleeful expression on Izaya's face made him want to rip it right off. The blonde didn't know which he hated to see more: Orihara Izaya's smug, delightful expression filled with playfulness and joy, or the boy's cautious and fearful face, with shaky hands and blank eyes, just what he looked like the other day.

"AAAAAAGGGGGHHH!" Shizuo flipped his desk in the middle of class, overwhelmed with thought and confusion. The desk landed on Orihara Izaya's head, who just happened to be sitting in front of him after the seating chart was newly made.

"Shizu-chan… the term 'flips table' isn't meant to be taken literally."

"Well, too bad." Shizuo growled, as the whole class kind of just stared and backed away from the commotion. "I am gonna do what I want, because you fucking irritate me right now."

"Heiwajima-kun." The teacher cleared his throat. "Violence isn't going to be tolerated in the classroom."

Shizuo stopped at that, a scowl still present on his face. Izaya smirked, and shifted back to his original position. _That damned flea..._ Shizuo chewed on his pencil. _I fucking hate him._

That exactly same day, Shinra had approached Shizuo. "Shizuo, I have a favor for you, and it may seem trivial to you, but it's really important to me. My whole love life depends on this. Do you comprehend my words -"

"Yes, yes. Make it quick."

Shinra was definitely hesitant about bringing up the matter. And when Shinra was hesitant, that usually meant that Shizuo wasn't going to like the favor. But the blonde felt nice that day, so he listened.

"Well..." The young Kishitani began, "Izaya borrowed my book the other day. He apparently couldn't find them in the library, so... And you see, Celty actually wants to read it too. I said I would give it to her tomorrow, but I can't go get it today since I have an experiment to conduct at mt lab today. So I was wondering if you could go get it for me..." Shinra's voice crawled in, as Shizuo's expression just turned for the worse as seconds passed.

Feeling nice? Bull shit.

Shinra clapped his hands together and leaned down, begging. "Please, Shizuo. Do it for Celty's sake, and our love."

 _As if anyone cares about your love._ Shizuo rolled his eyes. "Whatever. It's just bringing a book back to your house, right? I can bear that much."

Shinra's expression brightened up at that. "God, you're a lifesaver, Shizuo! That's right, I will buy you something in exchange tomorrow or whenever. I will tell Izaya about this, okay? Thanks, really."

"No big deal." Shizuo tried to act calm and level-headed till the very end. The shorter boy went off at that, to inform Izaya. The said Orihara seemed a little uncomfortable at first, glancing suspiciously back and forth at Shinra and Shizuo. Izaya said something, as if to retort, but Shinra shook his head and muttered something like "House is closer," or "Too far".

Izaya seemed to be compliant in the very end. He shrugged and then went to sleep on his desk.

Shizuo wasn't looking forward to the end of last period.

* * *

"Shizu-chan, I don't bite."

"Maybe. But you stink."

"I shower twice a day, Shizu-chan. My stench can't possibly be worse than yours."

The two were keeping a strict one-meter distance from each other - or rather, Shizuo was.

After a moment of silence, Izaya spoke up. "You know, Shizu-chan, I suggested to Shinra that I could take the book to him myself, but he insisted that I should go with you. Your house was right next to his? I never knew."

Shizuo grunted. "Yeah, yeah."

It was about ten minutes after the short talk, when they had arrived at Izaya's house. Izaya opened the door, unlocking it with reluctance evident on his face, for some unknown reason. When they entered, Shizuo spotted several shoes on the floor - a grown man's, and high heels that seemed like a young woman's.

"I'm back." Izaya muttered under his breath. A man with black, spiky hair wearing a button-down shirt and pants was sitting on the couch, chuckling with a woman that certainly didn't seem like Izaya's mother. The man's face became distorted, and his lips curled into a somewhat familiar position that Shizuo recognized (easily said, a cuss word) - until, he saw Shizuo with the boy.

"A friend?" He grumbled, letting his arm fall on the couch from the woman's slender shoulder.

"Just a classmate." Izaya shrugged, not making eye contact with his father. Shizuo found this whole situation odd, but didn't say anything.

The man clucked his tongue. Shizuo saw Izaya slightly flinch. "Make it quick. We need to talk."

"Yes, father."

Shizuo whipped his head back to see if he had heard Izaya right. He never expected Izaya to be so... utterly formal with his dad. But at the same time, Shizuo assumed it was kind if like how Kasuka, his little brother, acted inside the house compared to when he was on screen. _It ain't my business anyway._

The two walked up the stairs. The staircase was narrow, and the torn wallpaper next to them wasn't exactly helping Shizuo's mood. When they were finally upstairs, two girls dashed towards Izaya and crashed into him in an affectionate manner. Shizuo just stood there and blinked.

"Onii-chan," Kururi mumbled, "hi."

"Iza-nii, daddy -" Mairu stopped as Izaya shook his head and threw a meaningful glare at both girls, as if to tell them a message that Shizuo wasn't supposed to comprehend. "Is he your friend?"

"We're just classmates." Shizuo responded instead. "And I just came here to retrieve a book."

Kururi observed the blonde carefully, and then said nothing.

Izaya searched through the pits of his black hole-like drawers, and then reached his arm towards something that definitely seemed to go deeper than the depth of his drawer (for some mystifying reason). "Here it is." The black head smirked, throwing it at Shizuo who caught it in the air. "I really was going to pretend it was lost since I didn't want Shizu-chan to go, but I decided I'd be generous today."

Shizuo saw Izaya's eyes waver, as if he actually meant it. The monster-like male brushed the thought off his head - there was no way Izaya actually would want him to stay longer. And it wasn't like Shizuo was even going to stay, even if Izaya asked him to. Just about when that was happening, a rather impatient and abrasive knock echoed through the room. "Brat, you done talking? I have an errand I need you to run." The door opened, revealing Izaya's father who had a dissatisfactory scowl on his face. The tense atmosphere made Shizuo's shoulders hunch, as cold sweat formed on Izaya's face.

"We're done." The raven muttered. "What's the errand?"

His father grunted. "Go to my office and pick up some papers. The keys are on the counter. I'm not gonna be home today, so do whatever with Mairu and Kururi." Then slamming the door close, the man exited the scene. Shizuo took that as his cue to leave as well, and went down the stairs with Izaya, who picked up the said keys on the counter.

They parted ways in front of the house, and never said any kind of farewell to one another either.

Shizuo decided to leave it at that.

* * *

"Kasuka, at least put the dishes away." Shizuo grumbled, as he stood up from his chair and started washing the dishes in the sink. They were starting to pile up, and somebody had to do the work. His little brother obediently listened to the elder's orders - he never spoke a word against him, anyway. Nobody ever did the housework, due to the fact that their parents were divorced; not because their parents hated one another, or were on disagreeable terms, but because their dad was gay. It sounded like the deal was that they both loved another, enough to make two kids together - but their dad revealed the truth a tad bit too late. His dad always claimed that if he was even bisexual or straight, his most ideal woman would be their mom. But unfortunately for them, his dad wasn't attracted much to females.

"When is dad coming back today?" Kasuka questioned; their dad worked at a gay bar. He was considerably young - only 37 years old. It wasn't exactly the kind where males had to crossdress, since that was optional, but it was only for gays. Of course, his dad had a decent job before that, as an accountant in a small company. But after coming to a conclusion that he was finally gay, his dad went berserk and resigned from his job and took another path. Both Shizuo and Kasuka had no problem with that decision; it was just that their dad was rarely home later during the afternoon.

"I don't know." Shizuo replied. "Nine, or more than that, perhaps."

"Mhm."

The blonde dried off his hands, and walked to the couch and slumped down. That was exactly when his phone started ringing. The caller ID read Kadota Kyohei. The older Heiwajima frowned at that, as he somehow did receive an opportunity to save Kadota's number in the past, but he was not acquainted with him in any particular way. He picked up anyway. "Hello?"

 _"Hey, Heiwajima. Sorry for calling you this late."_

Shizuo glanced at the clock. It was around 8, which was considerably late. "It's fine, uh... Kadota-senpai."

 _"You can drop the senpai, and just call me Kadota. I know we really don't talk to each other and all, but do you happen to know anything about Orihara Izaya and his father?"_

There it was again. Orihara Izaya seemed to be the hottest topic of the month.

"No. Well..." Shizuo thought about his answer for a while. He knew Izaya's father, but he didn't know much about him. At least, not from that very first encounter that wasn't very welcoming. "No."

 _"Oh. Well, okay then. Thanks for answering the question. See you tomorrow."_

Then the call died. Shizuo glared at the speaker, his expression giving off a vibe that seemed to say: "What the hell was that?" But that moment due to the fact that Kadota had brought it up, Shizuo reminded himself of the ambiance of the Orihara household - it was definitely nowhere close to amicable or loving; and Shizuo knew what amicable and loving was supposed to look like (surprisingly). The small dots of red that appeared to be blood on the walls, the dents and cracks that were visible now and then, Kururi and... Mairu? The sisters' expressions when Shizuo came in, and Izaya...

 _"I really was going to pretend it was lost since I didn't want Shizu-chan to go, but I decided I'd be generous today."_

"Generous?" Shizuo gritted his teeth. "Who's being generous, now?"

Kadota's call, Izaya's odd behavior, and finally Izaya's dad. Shizuo knew it wasn't his business. In fact, he didn't want it to be his business. His life was dynamic enough; he didn't need to make it more exciting by adding Izaya's problems on his shoulders.

"Shizuo, I'm back~!" Someone's arms wrapped around his neck, their breath reeking of alcohol and cigar. His dad rubbed his face on the blonde's shoulders, as Shizuo shook him off. "Geez, you and Kasuka are both so cold. Maybe I should've sent one off to Namiko. It's still not too late." The man, Heiwajima Kichirou, was a very handsome, blonde male in his late thirties - but really, he looked like he was still in his twenties.

"Shut your trap, dad." Shizuo glared daggers at him. "Dinner's on the table."

Kichirou hummed a tune while skipping to the table. He certainly was in a good mood. Shizuo assumed there was male customer that he took a liking to, or maybe just that the business was going well... The boy wasn't exactly interested. He stared at his dad devour the food on the table in an unclean manner. Nobody could possibly imagine that his father was gay - he looked like a perfectly straight person, if such a description existed. "By the way, Shizuo?" The man wiped his mouth. "Did you make some friends at school?"

"Dad, I'm not a kid."

"Which probably means you don't have any friends, am I right?"

"I have Shinra!" Shizuo threw his arms into the air. "I have Celty, and uh... I think Karisawa and Walker will count."

"Well, that's an improvement." His dad said with slight sarcasm. "No one you love? I thought you were going pretty well with that girl... Varona, was it? You brought her over with Tanaka once, right?"

The blonde rolled his eyes. "They're just friends. I only consider Varona as my junior - nothing more, nothing less."

"Even Kasuka has a boyfriend. Grow some balls, Shizuo." Kichirou pointed his chopsticks at Shizuo, and the blonde gritted his teeth.

"I don't need a girlfriend. Or a boyfriend, for that matter."

Kichirou blinked at that, and then just resumed to his small eating session. "If you say so."

* * *

"Shizuo, did you see Izaya?" Shinra sat down in front Shizuo's desk, which was supposedly Izaya's seat. "He hasn't been around for two days, and that usually never happens." The blonde opened his eyes a little at the mention of the raven's name. Not because he was intrigued by the mysterious absence, but because he felt vexed just by the fact that someone had brought up Izaya Orihara's name on a perfectly nice day.

"If I saw him, I would've punched him in the face." He snuggled into his own arms. The Heiwajima just wanted to sleep, uninterrupted by annoying names, annoying people, and annoying whatevers. Shinra tilted his head to the side, and then sighed. He opened his record book, and proceeded to tapping on the label that read "20XX". He scrolled down a bunch of pages until he found something he was looking for.

"Izaya and I went to the same middle school. Did I tell you about that?" Shinra asked, clicking on a different tab. "I probably did. Izaya was often involved in gang fights then, you know... he acted as an informant, or at least that's what claimed he was. He got clobbered now and then, by this gang... what was it, the Yellow Scarves? The Blue Squares? And that's why he was injured so often, having broken legs and all." The street monster raised an eyebrow at that. The Yellow Scarves and the Blue Squares were all pre-existing gangs, before Shizuo had become a high schooler. They had rumbles in the alleys of Ikebukuro, and were often mentioned on the news and the press.

"And then?"

"Well, so I got worried about his... condition, you know? I mean, sure, I would care less if Izaya got his ass kicked if he deserved it, but nevertheless, I didn't need him to die. He had tons of broken ribs one day, and I really thought he was going to disappear from this world. My dad patched him up, so that was all fine. But I did my own investigation thing, and I eventually found at that Izaya was acting as an informant, but had never been beaten down by any of the gangs."

Shizuo frowned, perplexed. "What?"

"Exactly. That was my reaction. Of course, I left it at that. I didn't want to get all nosy with Izaya's personal life - especially when he stopped working as informant after a while. The injuries continued, but I never said a word about it to Izaya. He didn't seem like he wanted to talk about it." Shinra responded, turning back on the seat.

"So why are you telling me all this?" The blonde inquired, his face resting on his palm.

"No particular reason. I just thought it might be useful for you someday." The young doctor shifted a little on the chair, as Shizuo grunted.

"As if."

The door then dragged open, as small vibrations went through the wooden floor of the room. A few remained focused on what they were doing, while Shinra and Shizuo proceeded to look at who the newcomer was. It was lunch, and it really was odd for anyone to come in at this time.

There they saw Orihara Izaya, his face grim and pale. His cheeks were sunken, and circles were under his eyes. He was limping, and his hand was bandaged in a lazy, unprofessional fashion. His lip was slightly purple, and through the incorrectly buttoned shirt they could see linings of cuts that were yet to be healed and bruises that were forming grotesque shapes all over his body.

He looked dreadful.

"Shinra, get out of my seat." The raven croaked, as the young Kishitani quickly made way for him. Izaya slumped down on the chair, and didn't even bother to make a nasty comment or greeting at Shizuo. Which was extremely rare, since Izaya loved seeing Shizuo infuriated. Shinra and Shizuo exchanged glances, and Celty came over, noticing the condition of Izaya. She held up her PDA, trying to type something, but eventually erased what she typed and just let her arm down.

"Izaya -"

"Shinra." Izaya sighed. "Let's talk later."

"Sure." Shinra shrugged, and then threw a look at Shizuo. "I'll go now. The bell's about to ring."

Shizuo just stared at Izaya's hunched shoulders, not knowing how to feel about it.

If this swirling emotion in his stomach was worry, then Shizuo had to absolutely murder himself. He wasn't supposed to be concerned about the flea.

Yet, Shizuo clenched and unclenched his fists, biting his lower lip.

Orihara Izaya was his living nightmare.


	3. The First Crack

**A/N: I really can't imagine this fanfic being really long. At most I think it'll be about 15 chapters long, and therefore most things will be fast paced, like this chapter. Thanks for all the support, though!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3 – The First Crack**

 _'That's when he knew that his efforts were futile. No human being, no living thing on the planet would recognize him for what he did. More wounds, more pain, more discomfort, more hurtful memories. Everything kept on piling up, until he felt like the hole in the middle of his heart was growing larger, and even eating up his conscience as whole, until he -'_

"Oh god, shut up."

Izaya hurled the novel across the room in frustration and denial. He hated the book. He hated the main character. He was too much like him. It was almost as if the book was reading straight off from Izaya's mind - and the raven did not like that one bit. The male attempted to finish the book every single time, but always put it down to no avail. Every time he got to same part, his head started echoing, and the words would float off the page and start putting their own input into Izaya's thoughts. And then when it came to a certain point where he couldn't tell the difference between his mind and the book, Izaya threw the book across the room and shoved his face into whatever that was nearest to him.

His life was extremely repetitive. It was either that he got beaten or not, cursed at or not, sneered at or not, looked down at or not, glared at or not... and never appreciated for his existence.

That was about when his father entered his room. The door opened, and Izaya felt nothing but disgust. Not even fear, but disgust. His father's face looked grotesque as fuck.

"Izaya."

 _Don't you call me by my name._

"What?" Izaya didn't look up at the man. Maybe he was afraid. He didn't even know anymore.

"Where's Mairu and Kururi?" The boy froze at that. He stood up, and then stomped up towards the elder.

"You," Izaya growled, his breathing uneven. "Aren't going to lay a finger on those two." The man didn't seem to be fazed in the smallest bit. He simply grabbed Izaya by the hem of his shirt and drew him close to his face, to the point where Izaya could feel the male's breath to his face.

"Who are you to order me around?" And just like that, Izaya knew perfectly that he was screwed for the day. He wasn't surprised when his back soon came in painful contact with the floor, and a foot crushed his ribs down. When his father grabbed the wooden chair nearby, Izaya muttered a thousand curses in his head. Wood was generally a better thing to be hit with than metal, but that didn't change the fact that it hurt when you were hit with it. The leg of the chair almost penetrated the middle of his stomach, which made Izaya's vision go white. He desperately tried to crawl away in spite of self-defense, but the leg proceeded to crash down on his palm.

"Brat, I think you've forgotten your place just because I didn't give you much attention for the past few days..." The man kicked him like he was a soccer ball towards the bookshelf, which didn't help at all because the books fell down due to the impact all over Izaya's already fragile form. Man, whoever said that words don't hurt was never hit by a pile of books before.

 _It's okay. Just breathe. Just breathe, and it'll all be fine._ Izaya tried to calm himself down. But then when his father kicked his head towards the corner of the shelf again, Izaya decided, _Nope, I'm not gonna be fine._

Izaya believed that he did nothing to deserve such physical abuse. He was nothing but a human being. He wasn't a monster. It wasn't necessary for anyone to beat him down in order to keep him in control. Yet why was he being treated like this? Izaya couldn't understand. That's why he despised Heiwajima Shizuo. That male was more monstrous than anyone he had ever encountered. He was probably farthest existence on the planet to be ever defined as human, and despite that fact, he had no problems at all with his family. He wasn't beaten down by his parents, didn't find the need to protect his siblings from a monster living in the house, and didn't long for freedom.

It was simply unfair. Izaya demanded for equality towards whoever was deciding his fate. What did he lack compared to Heiwajima Shizuo? What did he do wrong, and what did Shizuo do right? Was it a sin that he simply wanted one thing, a normal life? Was even that something he didn't deserve to have?

Why couldn't he be protected and guarded by anyone?

Many unanswered questioned lingered in his mind. His nerves seemed to have gone numb from the beatings, and his mouth moved time to time to release grunts or strained moans. It was almost as if the pain was detached from his body, as if Izaya had gotten used to the repetitive action itself. His father spat at him and exited the room, and by the sound of it, had immediately went downstairs. Mairu and Kururi were safe, then.

The aching slowly returned from it's long journey. His wounds started to sting, and untreated cuts screamed as bruises started to form. Izaya buried his head inside the books that fell onto him and just released a sigh of exhaustion.

He wanted to die.

* * *

"Izaya." Shinra had approached him the following morning he was at school. Izaya was too distracted to care. It wasn't the first time Shinra came to him, discussing about his wounds. Izaya just needed to make up a right excuse for every inquiry.

"I got into a gang fight." Izaya grumbled. He couldn't bother to make the excuse sound believable. "The leader got infuriated with me, and the gang beat me down."

"There were no gang fights yesterday, Izaya. Celty told me." Shinra lowered his voice, and enunciated every word he said.

"Can we just get over this problem for once? It's inconsequential, Shinra, and whatever you decide to hypothesize, you wouldn't be able to substantiate its accuracy. We went over this previously." Izaya was impatient. His mood wasn't at its best.

However, Shinra was persistent, too. "Am I being the perfidious friend here? No, I'm not. You can trust me with your problems, Izaya. Even Celty is -"

"You and your beloved Celty Strulson!" Izaya exclaimed, slamming the table down. The whole class stared at him, albeit there were only a few students as it was lunch time. But Celty was there, and the smoke lingering inside her helmet looked uneasy. The raven realized what he had said, and quickly sat down. "... I'm sorry, Celty."

"What am I going to do if it's too late to save you?" Shinra narrowed his eyes. "Your wounds are something that I can't oversee, Izaya. If you're telling me that I should ignore a patient as a doctor -"

"You're just a student." Izaya pointed out.

"And so are you." Shinra whispered pitifully. "You're not supposed to be involved in gang fights in the first place."

"Look, I -"

A hand suddenly was put in between Shinra and Izaya's face. The two males soon noticed the blonde high schooler that was staring down at them, reading in between the lines of the argument. Izaya's mood simply worsened as he caught sight of Shizuo. His fists clenched tightly as he tried not to glare daggers at him.

"I'd appreciate it if you stopped fighting about petty things." Shizuo remarked, as he glanced back and forth at the two. "If the flea got into a gang fight, so be it. If not, then so be it. You don't need to interfere with his personal life, Shinra. If he needs help, then he'll ask for it."

Shinra shook his head. "That's the thing, Shizuo. It's reverse psychology. That's exactly the reason Izaya won't ask for help."

"I don't need help." Izaya gritted his teeth.

"See what I mean? This kind of forte really doesn't help in these kinds of situations." Shinra said, as if to prove his point.

"Jesus Christ, Shinra, if you just shut up for one second -"

"Hey, flea." Shizuo glanced down at Izaya. He must have looked pathetic with a bandage hastily wrapped around his head, with bruises dotting his body and cuts nearby his neck. He had to look pitiful. Izaya just gritted his teeth. "Just what the fuck are you doing during your free time? If you're gonna get in trouble, you should at least go to a decent doctor after it's over."

"And mind me asking, why is that anyhow related to Shizu-chan?" Izaya said in a stingy manner.

Shizuo's eyebrows creased. "Oh, I don't know. Because I need to murder you with my own hands, and I would be very much frustrated if someone does that in my place?"

"Aw, Shizu-chan, I know you love me."

"Don't test my patience, flea."

Izaya skillfully avoided the topic. Shinra gave both of them a meaningful glare, but then eventually turned away. Just like that, Izaya had gained his victory again. It was as simple as that, to deceive someone.

"Well, Izaya, you have my phone number, right?" Shinra checked, and Izaya rolled his eyes.

"Sure I do."

"Well, if something happens, you can call me, and my dad can treat you or something. If I don't pick up, you can try Celty... Oh wait, only I understand her secret messages. Shizuo, can you give Izaya your phone number?" The young Kishitani looked over his shoulder, only to meet eyes with a very irritated Heiwajima.

Izaya just laughed. "As if I would ever need the help of Shizu-chan."

"You never know that. It's good to consider the worst of situations." Shinra added, as he picked up Shizuo and Izaya's phone and transferred Shizuo's number to Izaya's. "There. I saved it as Shizu-chan by the way, but you can change that if you want to."

Shizuo grunted. "I would never pick up anyway."

"Oh, come on." Shinra said pleadingly.

Izaya just stared at the two, thinking that he would never use it as well.

At least, that's what he thought then.

* * *

A few days after that, Shinra burst into the classroom, his face delightful. He sang "Over the Rainbow" with a terrible English accent, and then slammed down his hands on Izaya's desk as he finished his singing by humming a tune - "The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies."

"I asked Celty out on a date, and she said yes!"

"... Oh." Izaya supposed it must have been something tedious like that. "Good for you."

"Lord, she is the true beauty! I seriously can't imagine anyone more ideal in form than her - not even the hottest idol, like... right, Hijiribe Ruri. Celty is absolutely divine. Like, _divine._ She is like a living goddess on Earth - well, she isn't exactly human anyway, but -"

"Shinra, do you know what this kind of illness is typically called?" Izaya smiled, as Shinra scoffed.

"It's not an illness, Izaya. It's true love!"

"Well yeah, that makes sense because you are currently lovesick."

"You never loved someone before! It only makes sense that you wouldn't be able to comprehend ny actions right now. I can't imagine you falling in love, anyway." Shinra commented.

Izaya thought for a while about that. "There are many attractive women in this school I could be capable of falling for. Like Namie-san, or Varona... Maybe even Karisawa."

"Love isn't a choice Izaya. It just happens." Shinra pointed out, and Izaya shrugged. Shinra was right - he wouldn't know. For some wretched reason, Shizuo's face crossed his mind, and Izaya just scowled. There was no way he could fall in love with Shizuo.

The rest of the day passed by in peace and harmony. Izaya slept through most of class, and Shizuo didn't bother him either. They were both too distracted in their own business to argue for the day. The rest of the class seemed thankful for the quiet day.

When the bell signaling the end of school rang, Izaya stretched his arms and packed his bag, getting ready to go home. His sisters had to be bored by now, and after all that rest at school, Izaya supposed he could afford to play a few rounds of whatever games they wanted to play. That was when his phone vibrated in his pocket. The caller ID said it was from his house, which was odd, because nobody ever called Izaya using the phone at home. "Hello?"

 _"Onii-chan? Is it Izaya onii-chan?"_ The voice was creepily familiar as it shook monotonously in a foreign manner.

"Kururi?" Izaya immediately sensed that something wasn't right. The fact that Mairu wasn't interrupting the phone call - or even that he could hear Mairu at all in the background - or that Kururi seemed to be shaking in the first place. Something was off.

 _"Onii-chan, Mairu isn't waking up."_

Izaya froze, as the girl continued.

 _"Daddy threw her towards the wall. Mairu's head started bleeding, and she won't wake up after that."_

Izaya's lips went dry. He found himself running down the hallway and pushing past crowds of students. His breath went uneven again, as he spoke to Kururi as calmly as possible. "Kururi, I am going now. Don't go anywhere else, okay? Stay where you are." Then he hung up and just raced towards his house. He couldn't lose Kururi and Mairu. They were his reason of living. Without them, his life was meaningless.

When he arrived, he just flung the door open and never closed it. His shoes were tossed carelessly to the side, as Izaya dashed upstairs. When he got to the girls' room he twisted the doorknob and entered.

Blood. There was blood on the floor. The fact that the blood wasn't his mortified Izaya. Kururi was sobbing, her voice muffled as she rubbed her face against Mairu's still body. Izaya shook Kururi and looked into her red eyes.

"Kururi, what happened?"

"Daddy came in." Kururi said. "He said some things we couldn't understand, and then threw Mairu towards the wall and... and Mairu didn't wake up after that..." Izaya's eyes widened. He checked foe Mairu's pulse, which was still quite steady. That was when Izaya heard footsteps.

"Kururi, listen. Go into the closet, and never come out unless I tell you to, alright?" Izaya pushed both of the girls into the closet. Kururi looked fearful, as if she wanted to say that couldn't be left in solitude.

But Izaya had to close the closet door. The man entered, reeking of alcohol as always. He looked in the worst of moods, and that didn't reassure Izaya at all. "Where are the girls?"

"Oh, I don't know," Izaya shook, "I thought you would know better than me."

Orihara Shirou simply passed on a sneer. He took out something from his shirt, and Izaya definitely didn't enjoy the sight of it. The shiny, glinting metal under the dimly lit room stood out more than anything ever could as the man held it in his hand. It was a kitchen knife - probably from the kitchen that they never really used anymore.

"Are you really going to use that on me? Is it worth it, being called a murderer?" Izaya narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, I am not gonna kill you." His father snickered. "I am just gonna have some fun." Izaya didn't know that the definition of the word fun had changed over the few hours he had been learning at school.

His father plunged forward and stabbed his stomach before be could process the situation and dodge it. Izaya didn't feel anything for a while, until the pain hit him. His father rained kicks and punches down after that. Izaya coughed and bled on the wooden floor, grunting and screaming now and then as his father just stabbed his upper arm and lower leg. When he was done, he heard the knife clatter on the floor as it fell. His father panted and departed the room.

Kururi didn't come out. Izaya couldn't even tell her to come out, as he didn't want her to see the unsightly scene that would fold upon her eyes. Blood was splattered everywhere, and Izaya just assumed he looked half-dead.

His vision was blurry as he painfully dragged his phone towards him. He scrolled down the screen, soaking it with blood. He clicked on Shinra's name on his contacts and waited, but the male didn't pick up. That's when Izaya reminded himself that his friend had a date. Geez, what a great time for him to go on a date.

Then he caught sight of the name below. Shizu-chan. Izaya stared at it for a while, and then clicked on it. Anything was worth a try. It was better than dying from blood loss in his house. He waited, and surprisingly enough, Shizuo picked up, although sounding evidently vexed.

 _"Hello?"_

It took Izaya a while to respond. Every muscle in his body ached at that moment. "Shizu... chan."

The blonde paused. It was a long pause, too. _"... Izaya? Are you alright?"_ He was concerned. So concerned to the point where it sounded unrealistic. Izaya wanted to laugh.

"... Save me."

With that, Izaya passed out.

* * *

Shizuo was running like a madman. Well, he didn't really know how a madman ran, but if a madman did run, he would've been running like Shizuo. The blonde raced towards Izaya's house as if his life depended on it. The raven sounded terrible. And if he was about to die... Nope. Shizuo wasn't going to let him die.

The Orihara residence was pretty far away from where Shizuo lived, but that didn't matter. His dad was also very curious about why he was rushing out at this of the night, but the blonde was too distracted to give a sensible response. Shizuo believed he had said something along the lines of getting breakfast for tomorrow.

Something was off about the house. Firstly, the door wasn't closed, for some wretched reason. Secondly, Izaya's shoes were sprawled around the floor when he approached the doorstep - which was peculiar, because Izaya liked to put his shoes aligned. Shizuo entered the house anyway, and went up the stairs. He had an uneasy feeling inside his guts, because he heard someone crying. His pace got faster, as he opened Izaya's room - but nobody was there. So he walked to the other room at the end of the hall, and pushed the door open.

What he saw unfold in front of him was simply disgusting. There was sticky, red blood everywhere, and Izaya lying down lifelessly on the floor. A girl that Shizuo remembered as Izaya's little sister was crying his name and sobbing, with another girl lying down next to Izaya, motionless. The girl that was awake seemed terrified when she saw Shizuo.

"D-don't hurt me..." She whispered, hugging both her siblings as protectively as she could. Shizuo's expression softened, as he approached her

"I won't." He patted her head, and then glanced at Izaya. The amount of blood lost was significant. He carried all three of them at once. "Let's go to a doctor." And Shizuo made another run to the Kishitani's house.

 _Izaya, don't you die on me._


	4. Seeking Deliverance

**A/N: Long chapter! Thanks for all the support, guys! Here's the first proper romantic chapter… I guess… Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4 – Seeking Deliverance**

Shizuo was panicking.

Like, not just panicking, but also his mind was racing, processing several different possibilities on which route to the Kishitani's house would be the fastest. The small girl that was the only conscious one was shivering, her body covered in dried blood that was presumably Izaya's.

"Shit, shit, shit…" Shizuo was taking large steps as he jumped over a wall and landed in front of the entrance of the Kishitani household. He frantically banged on the door, yelling for Shinra – desperately hoping that the male would come out and respond to his call.

"Hello?" It wasn't Shinra that opened the door, but his father, Kishitani Shingen. "Well, well, isn't it Shizuo… How can I…" The man slowly examined Shizuo and opened the door even wider, gesturing for the boy to enter. "I think I know how I can help you. Emilia, we have a guest- er, guests!"

A young, beautiful woman in her early twenties poked her head out from the kitchen. "My, my, Shizuo-kun! Long time no see- wait; I met you yesterday, haven't I? Shinra is out at Celty's house today…" She trailed off as she saw Izaya's cold body on his back, along with the two girls that were somehow dangling on his shoulder. "Well, darling… I think we need to take care of those three first. Shizuo-kun, please follow me downstairs." The blonde rushed down without another word.

Downstairs consisted of three different rooms – one was Shingen's office, one was their laboratory, and the last one was an emergency room for patients that often visited the Kishitani household when the hospitals were closed. There were five beds in the emergency room, and Shizuo carefully laid Izaya down on one of them, with Kururi and Mairu on the others.

"When did you find him like this, and where?" Shingen questioned, as he cut Izaya's shirt with a pair of scissors. His original plan was to take it off, but he came to a conclusion that the sticky blood and Izaya's fractured bones would make that task a tad bit challenging. Shizuo ruffled Kururi's hair, attempting to calm the girl down.

"About twenty minutes ago, at his house." He answered, as Kururi stared at her brother on the bed. Izaya looked pale and sickly, as if he were to die. Emilia disinfected the wound on Mairu's head, and wrapped it with bandages.

"It seems like the girl isn't injured as much. How's Izaya-kun?" The woman tilted her head to the side, as Shingen just groaned.

"Bad. His ribs are almost completely broken, and I think it's because hit with something hard… metal or wood, probably. His right ankle is twisted, and both his wrists are fractured. His left ankle is in better shape, though. And then there are a few gashes that go through his lower abdomen, made by something sharp, like a kitchen knife… and minor wounds that are from severe beatings. Some bruises are black, like they've been hit over and over again. I refuse to jump to careless conclusions, but… Kururi-chan, is it? What do your parents do at home?"

Kururi tensed, but didn't respond. More like she couldn't, if Shizuo had to say. She just trembled in Shizuo's arms, and proceeded to remain silent about the topic. Emilia shook her head at her husband, signaling to not inquire further. Shingen nodded in agreement, and just continued to treat Izaya's wounds.

"You should stay here until Izaya wakes up, Shizuo. I'll contact your father about this. I think Kururi-chan also took a liking to you, so it'd be helpful if you stay." Shingen looked up, his breathing mask slightly creeping out Shizuo. The blonde nodded though, as he glanced worriedly at Izaya.

"It's the weekend, starting from tomorrow, anyway. You can stay here as long as you want." Emilia smiled, as she took off her mask and put a blanket over Mairu. "You can sleep here, by the way. Shinra's room is a little… disorganized for guests. I will find some clothes that will fit you, and possibly for Kururi too. I think I have some of Shinra's clothes when he was younger, so… Oh, and you can take a shower over there." She pointed at the bathroom in the corner, and exited the room with Shingen.

Shizuo glanced at Kururi and the bathroom. The little girl was covered in red liquid, which luckily wasn't hers. He sighed. "Uh, I'll help you take a bath, if you can't do it by yourself." She shook her head, and hopped to the bathroom. "… Okay, then. I'll put your clothes in front of the door."

As if on cue, Emilia entered with some small pieces of clothing. "I found Shinra's pajamas that Shingen kept when he was younger. It's a little girly for a boy, so it should suit Kururi pretty well. I already finished changing Mairu, so don't worry about her… and for Izaya-kun, I think Shingen is finished changing him. See?" She gestured at Izaya, who was changed into some white T-shirt and black shorts. "And here's your clothes. It's a little big for Shinra, so I thought it'd be great for you to wear." It was a green shirt and khaki pants.

"Thanks for your help, uh… ma'am."

"Shizuo, I'm only twenty-four… or something. Call me Emilia."

"… Emilia, then."

The female nodded, and then skipped out of the emergency room. Kururi soon came out of the bathroom, wearing the pajamas that Shizuo had placed in front of the bathroom as he said he would. She was struggling to take control over the large, heavy towel, though. Shizuo walked over and helped her dry her hair, and then put the towel down on the floor and entered the bathroom to take a short shower.

As he flipped the tap upward, warm water gushed out from above. Shizuo took a while to think about how he felt when he discovered Izaya at his house, heavily wounded and covered in blood. His heart stung with shock and ached with unknown pain. He had never felt so helpless in his whole life, when he saw Izaya's body limp and unmoving – dead. He was used to blood, and being broken. But he wasn't used to seeing the bloodshed of others, and others being broken. Especially when that was Orihara Izaya.

He turned off the water and gritted his teeth. He felt nothing but hatred towards the raven. Then why was he so worried? Why was he so concerned over Izaya's wellbeing? Why did he blame himself for not arriving there sooner? What was this sensation of pure guilt and pain when he heard Izaya's plead for help? What did he hate more, to see Izaya alive and well, or to see Izaya shattered and broken?

What was Orihara Izaya to Heiwajima Shizuo?

The amount of unanswered questions loomed above his head. He clenched his fists as he saw Izaya's colorless face twisted in slight pain as he lay on the bed. Kururi was already fast asleep on her bed, next to Mairu. Shizuo put a blanket over them, and then approached Izaya. He scowled as he stared at Izaya.

"Flea, you're awake, aren't you?" He growled, as two pairs of eyes slowly opened, Izaya's lips curling up into a grin.

"You're no fun, Shizu-chan… I was thinking about surprising you." But then he winced in pain as he tried to move his arm. Shizuo winced too, but for a different reason. "Where am I? The hospital?"

"You're at Shinra's." Shizuo replied, as he sat down on the bed. "Kururi and Mairu are over there."

"I noticed." Izaya said, as he looked back up at the ceiling. "I never knew you'd actually come. It was my last resort to contact you… I really was certain that you would just leave me to bleed to death."

Shizuo thought, _I never mean half the things I say to you._ But then he spoke up. "I wish I could've done that." He grumbled, running his fingers through his damp hair. He could sense that Izaya was staring at the back of his head, but Shizuo refused to stare back. He couldn't look at Izaya.

"Then why didn't you?" Izaya asked quietly.

"Because…" Shizuo tried to think of a believable excuse. "Because nobody deserves to die in the first place."

"But you want to kill me everyday."

"That's because I personally need to murder you, not somebody else murdering you. That loses the whole purpose of my daily life."

Izaya remained silent at that. He whispered something that was inaudible. Shizuo frowned.

"What?"

"Nothing." Izaya closed his eyes, and Shizuo just turned away and went to another bed and fell asleep.

* * *

In the morning, Shinra's parents were gone. They had left a note that they needed to go to the airport, because of some kind of business that came up from the company they were both working in. Shinra was apparently not going to come back the whole weekend, so that left Shizuo and Izaya in the house alone with the two girls. Mairu wasn't waking up, but Kururi remained by her side. Izaya decided that he would start practicing walking around again, because he hated to just stay in bed.

When the two boys were both in the living room, (Izaya took about twenty minutes just to move about thirty meters.) Shizuo made themselves some breakfast with what was in the refrigerator. Izaya claimed that he didn't want to eat anything, so Shizuo helped himself with two plates of eggs and bacon.

Izaya stared at the blonde without a single word. He couldn't exactly recall what he had said to the beast the other night anymore. Only the beatings and the shiny knife that pierced his stomach was clear in his mind. He shook just a little as he remembered his father's expression. Insanity, craziness, hatred, disgust… that wasn't the look a parent would normally give to their own kid. He sucked in a deep breath as he rubbed his bandaged wrists.

"Hey."

Shizuo's gruff voice brought the boy back to reality. "What?"

"I'm asking, who hurt you."

Izaya just narrowed his eyebrows. "And why would you want to know?"

"Wouldn't you be curious if someone beat me into a pulp?" Shizuo grunted, although he did have an idea of what happened to the boy. Izaya just looked away.

"… The members of the Blue Squares broke into the house." It was a fucking preposterous excuse, alright. Even Izaya was laughing in the inside as he said it. But what else could he say? Confess the truth like an idiot and get all his sisters and himself thrown into an orphanage? Quit school, and become a juvenile delinquent that lived off by stealing? He had to survive.

But of course, Shizuo didn't buy that. The blonde just snorted and rolled his eyes. "The Blue Squares disbanded a week ago, Izaya. If you're going to make an excuse for this whole situation, at least keep yourself updated about the information about the gangs in this city."

Izaya bit his lower lip. He didn't like the fact that Shizuo was reprimanding him, out of all people. "Stuff happened, okay? Stuff that Shizu-chan doesn't need to meddle with. So can we stop talking about this and just –"

"No."

"Pardon?"

"You heard what I said. I'm not going to let go of this topic. It's not you that I'm worried about right now. You saw what happened to Mairu. What are you going to do if that happens again? Fend the attacker off? Because you obviously failed at accomplishing that task."

"Shut up."

"No, I'm not gonna shut up. You almost died in there, Izaya. What were you going to do if I really…" Shizuo's lips formed a tight line. "If I really didn't pick up your call? You would've… yeah. You seriously need to fucking think more about your personal wellbeing if you're really concerned for your sisters. If you die, then they go to the orphanage – _alone_ , or either that they die along with you. Do you want that?"

"Shut up."

"Stop being a selfish idiot. You actually just want somebody to comfort you, protect you, and if that's not possible, you just want to disappear from Earth's surface. You're not thinking about the rest of your family that you claim to care about at all. You're being shitty, Izaya. You –"

"HEIWAJIMA SHIZUO, SHUT THE HELL UP!" Izaya slammed the table, caring less about his wrist. He was panting, as a shock went through his whole body as it shuddered. The blonde went silent at that one. The raven sunk down on the chair again. "I know." He muttered. "I know I'm being selfish. I know I could've done better to protect Kururi and Mairu. I know perfectly well that I'm being a fucking idiot. I know that I could've died. I don't need to reciting every single one of that over again." Izaya was choking on his own breath.

And that was when realization struck Shizuo. His heartbeat quickened as he saw the raven on the verge of breaking down. Anger, pity, sympathy, despicable emotions, and… love. It was love. Love was slowly replacing his feeling of hate. He couldn't accept it. Loving Orihara Izaya… it wasn't right. But the difference of love and hate was really, just paper-thin.

"Izaya, I…" Shizuo slowly mumbled, noticing how much weight that name carried as he said it. He didn't know how to comfort the male in front of him. He had a great family, although his parents were divorced. Shizuo had his own problems, as he tried to deal with this massive strength he possessed. But never had he needed to worry himself over constant abuse of his dad. Shizuo just knew that it was Izaya's dad that was doing all this.

For about five seconds, rage swept over Shizuo's whole body. But Izaya just shrugged everything away.

"Let's stop talking about this and change the gears a little. There must be something better to engage ourselves with than… this dramatic shit."

So the two sat in silence again. Izaya was simply fidgeting around, practicing to walk again. Shizuo just washed the dishes, as the sound of Kururi mumbling something to Mairu was heard from downstairs. The cacophony of the traffic outside was the only accompaniment they had, amongst the suffocating intensity between the two boys.

 _Out of all times,_ Shizuo thought. _Out of all times, I just needed to realize today that I have a crush on that guy. So is being gay seriously related to the DNA?_

Izaya then glanced at the blonde as he slumped down on the couch. "Shizu-chan?"

"What?"

"You're breaking the plate."

Shizuo looked down and realized that he squeezed the plate too hard. "Shit." He grumbled, "Do you know how to mend cracks?"

"Well…" Izaya inwardly snorted. His life was all about fixing broken furniture. Of course he knew how to fix a cracked plate. "Yeah. Do you think there's some superglue around here?"

Shizuo wiped the water on a towel that was hanging nearby. "Sure. Should be somewhere over here." He opened the cupboard and took out the superglue, and handed it to Izaya. The raven, despite having fractured wrists, skillfully fixed the crack, making it less visible than it was before.

As Izaya was doing that, Shizuo only came to recognize the difference in atmosphere between the two in comparison to when they were at school. There were no arguments or fighting going on, nor were the chairs and desks flailing around the room. Just peace and placidity slowly spreading throughout the small vicinity – Shizuo decided that it wasn't too bad.

* * *

A few days passed, just like that. Shinra's parents never returned, and the school closed temporarily, due to the some serial killer called Hollywood being on the loose. Mairu had woken up, and Shinra and Celty sent an email to Shizuo, saying that they came to a conclusion that they were meant for each other, and therefore would spend the whole days-off with one another. Which also meant, that Shizuo and Izaya and the two girls had the whole house to themselves until whatever happened.

Izaya and Shizuo just goofed off, watched TV and everything. They were more like best friends than enemies, although it was mostly because Shizuo had became softer on everything Izaya did. Izaya also noticed this, but never questioned it. He in fact, found it very reassuring that someone wasn't going to kill him while he still had healing broken ribs. He was able to walk, though, albeit very slowly.

Kururi and Mairu had taken a particular liking to Shizuo, and played hide-and-seek with him very often around the Kishitani household. The blonde didn't mind, as he found that the girls were pretty adorable.

"Shizu-nii, it's your turn to hide!" Mairu squealed. "But Shizu-nii is so big, so… he's really bad at hiding. Don't you think so too, Kuru-nee?"

"I guess…"

"Hey, shut up, you two." Shizuo grumbled, as he shuffled away to some random room.

Then suddenly, the doorbell rang. Shizuo frowned, but Izaya, who was sitting in the living room, opened it first. He didn't put much thought into who it was, because nobody stupid would ever dare to rob the house of the Kishitani household in Ikebukuro.

But maybe, Izaya should've been more cautious about opening the door that time.

"So you were here?"

The black-haired boy stopped in his trails as his hand just clutched the doorknob. When he recognized who it was and quickly tried to close the door, it was too late. The man grabbed Izaya's yet to be healed wrist and pulled him over, seething. "Do you know how long it took me to find your ass? I had to ask around the people in the neighborhood… God, why are you so fucking irritating until the very end?"

"Father… let me go." Izaya glared. He was scared of what the man would do next, but he didn't want to look like a coward. He refused to scream again for this man, just for his entertainment. He needed to hold on. Hold on, until –

A strong hand interfered with the grip of the older man. A pair of tough arms held Izaya's frail shoulders, as Heiwajima Shizuo just stood there, his grasp on the hem of the man's shirt. "Fuck off." Shizuo said firmly, looking fully prepared to murder the latter if he didn't leave Izaya alone.

"… Excuse me?" Orihara frowned, as Shizuo pushed Izaya towards the back. Mairu and Kururi were hiding beneath the table, hoping their dad wouldn't notice that they were there. "Young man, I am capable of contacting your parents if you continue to –"

"And I am capable of calling the fucking police if you lay a finger on Orihara Izaya." Shizuo spat with venom in his voice. Izaya blinked, as he finally came to comprehend what was going on. The blonde standing in front of him, the girls under the table, and his father standing face-to-face with Shizuo, ready to throw a punch at the rude teenager in front of him.

Orihara Shirou looked extremely displeased. "Are you the Heiwajima Shizuo of this town? The Beast of Ikebukuro?"

"What are you going to do if I am? Send me to the police for kidnapping your son?" Shizuo tilted his head to the side, as if testing the patience of the man. "Unfortunately, I'd been to the station many times for hundred different reasons. If you're going to continue with your shitty threats, then you might as well get lost. You're not wanted over here."

Shirou simply shrugged, and then looked at Izaya who was still sprawled on the floor from when Shizuo had pushed him back. "Seems like you have a nice friend here, Izaya. I'll come back when he isn't here to defend you or anything." And then he turned to look at his daughters. "It'd be nice if you actually come out and say hi to daddy, Mairu, Kururi. Where did your manners go?" The girls almost tripped over each other under the table in fear.

"Get lost." Shizuo growled.

"Yes, yes." Orihara Shirou smirked, as if to intimidate them. Shizuo slammed the door close, and then let out a sigh of irritation and relief. Then he proceeded to look at the condition of the three Orihara siblings that were all lying somewhere around the floor. He helped Izaya on the couch first, and then went to coax the girls.

"F-father, he –"

"Shush…" Shizuo shook his head. "Don't talk about it." He ruffled Mairu's hair, and brought them back to the beds downstairs. "Go to sleep. Forget about the man, and just sleep." He closed the door, and tucked a comforter between the girls.

When he went back upstairs, Izaya was pretty shaken up. He was trembling very slightly, and was staring blankly at the glass window on the other side of the room. Shizuo felt uneasy again. He carefully approached the male, and sat next to him on the couch. He was glad that couch was pretty large in size – it was more like one of those couches that also functioned as beds. He stretched out the extra cushion beneath so that Izaya could relax, and then moved closer to the shaking male.

"Shizu-chan…" Izaya mumbled.

"… Yeah?"

"Why don't you hate me anymore?"

Shizuo didn't reply at that one. "I still hate you." He said after a while.

"You're a really bad liar, Shizu-chan." Izaya laughed a little.

"So are you."

Izaya tried to deny that comment, but then stopped himself. "Why can't that man just forget about us?" He whispered under his breath, as Shizuo glanced at the male. "If mother didn't die so early… then I wonder if father would've remained the same, like he was when I was younger. If I die, then would he finally realize what he did and change his attitude towards Mairu and Kururi –"

"No." Shizuo answered that wandering question instantly. "That's just shit."

"Shizu-chan, you still didn't answer my question."

"I did."

"You lied, though."

"Maybe."

Izaya stared at the blonde for a while, and then just released a sigh. "I –"

"It's not like you're any better." Shizuo raised his left brow. "You lie all the time."

"I don't."

"Yes you do. You don't love humans; you despise them. You never hated me, either. You always say you have many friends, when you actually only had Shinra. You're no better than me. You lie all the time. I was right about your father too. You were never involved in gang fights; it was just your father. Why didn't you tell me?" Shizuo bombarded him with questions.

Izaya just frowned. "Why do I need to tell you?"

"Because –" Shizuo faltered. "I…"

"What does Shizu-chan know about me? What do you understand about my life? What'd change if I tell you anything? Can you solve my problems? Can you listen to them? Can you handle them? What can you do?" Izaya demanded, and that's when Shizuo noticed lately that he might've messed up.

"What do you think you are to me?" Izaya said, his voice raspy and soft.

"Izaya, look –"

"I thought Shizu-chan could help me. I should've gone back with that man. Now if he finds us, we're dead. Do you know how influential that man is? Shizuo, you should've just let me go. You should've kept Mairu and Kururi safe here, with you, at this place. Let him forget about them, as I just deal with everything by myself. If you didn't interrupt that, then I could've just returned to that shitty place alone and- and maybe fix everything. Heiwajima Shizuo, you should've –"

"And fix what? Your relationship with you dad? Your mental state? Your bloody room? Your broken bones? What are you going to fix, Orihara Izaya? What _can_ you fix by yourself other than broken plates?" Shizuo retorted, as Izaya tried to search for another argument that could counter that. "Stop trying Izaya. Stop trying alone." And then it all happened. Shizuo's arms were wrapped around Izaya's body, holding him in his tight embrace.

"What are you doing? Let me go –"

"No." Shizuo muttered. "You're not going anywhere. You're staying here with me. I know you love me too. Don't even deny that. Do you know the difference between love and hate? It's paper-thin, Izaya. You never hated me. I know you never hated me."

Izaya was dumbfounded at that. His pulse was slowing down, as Shizuo's warmth slowly spread throughout his cold body. He grasped the blonde's shirt, and just grumbled. "I still hate you."

Shizuo smirked.

"Yeah, yeah."


	5. Placidity

**After my long vacation, here is the new chapter! This chapter is slightly M-rated, not because of the scenes, but because of the jokes. Anyway, enjoy!**

 **P.S: Does anyone enjoy fast-paced romance? Haha… I get impatient while writing, you know…**

* * *

 **Chapter 5 – Placidity**

"So…"

"Yeah."

"After contacting me precisely 12 days ago, saying you have an 'emergency' to take care of… and here you are, back, with a _boyfriend_?"

"Dad, he isn't my… boyfriend, for the fifteenth time." Shizuo groaned, as Heiwajima Kichirou, his gay father, folded his arms in a stern manner. "He needs a place to stay, dad. And he is absolutely not going back to his house as long as he is under my care."

"I am _not_ under your care." Izaya snapped, "I can always go back to Shinra's house and stay there with the two Kishitanis – and it's not like you're the only person I am acquainted with, anyway."

"Sure. You have acquaintances apart from me, and yet you followed me all the way here."

"Shizu-chan –"

"Okay, I get it." Kichirou let out a heavy sigh. He looked delighted at the sight of Mairu and Kururi though – he had never taken care of girls before (living in a house full of sons). "Uh… Orihara Izaya-kun, was it? Do I need to contact your parents- wait, no, you wouldn't be out here if you wanted your parents to find out."

Izaya sat there in silence. Well, before he got into any details…

 _ **4 hours ago…**_

" _We can't stay here."_

 _Shizuo blurted out, throwing his arms exasperatedly in the air as he turned off the TV. Giving him a puzzled look in response, Izaya just continued to munch on the potato chips that comfortably sat on his lap. The beast continued._

" _Your father found out the location, who knows how-"_

" _We've been going out getting groceries together. Of course he'd find out." Izaya remarked, as Shizuo rolled his eyes and looked at him in an accusing manner._

" _That's because you said you were afraid-" A book came flying to aim Shizuo's nose before he could even complete his sentence. "Fuck you, Flea." He spat, his usual irascible personality displayed in his voice. Izaya turned away, pretending that nothing had happened. He was never,_ ever _, going to admit again that he was fearful of staying alone in the large house – he felt like his father was going to haunt his way down the house again, and kill him._

 _Things have gotten a lot complicated ever since they had unconsciously admitted their hidden feelings toward one another. The ambiance of the house had transformed from something awkward and melancholy to something dulcet and warm. Izaya felt oddly safe while being a few meters within Shizuo and the door – even if his father were to be standing there, he somehow hoped that the blonde would come to his defense. Of course, Izaya could protect himself. But Shizuo was just like an extra barrier._

 _There were the pros and cons to the sudden change. Their relationship for one thing, had become unrecognizable – Izaya would've gagged, if he looked at how him and Shizuo acted around the house, a few weeks ago. Even when he had notified his own mind that he was not to let his guard down in front of Shizuo, his body didn't listen. He had shown Shizuo all his languish states, his stupid moments, everything. And of course, the other delinquent had shown him pretty much everything as well._

 _Which was why, Izaya couldn't help but listen to what Shizuo was attempting to get through._

" _Let's move to my house." The suggestion made Izaya perk up. "It'd be safer there. If we move in late during the night, there'd be nobody for your father to ask that have seen us move around, or your father himself, for that matter. Besides, my dad is there too, as well as Kasuka. If I'm not present, then I at least know that one of them would be capable of staying by your side."_

" _I don't need anyone to take care of me – moving to your house would be enough."_

" _Yeah, yeah. For fuck's sake, Izaya. Let's move."_

 _The raven thought about it a while. His father didn't know where Shizuo lived, but it'd be simple for him to find out somebody's address. If he moved to Shizuo's house, then there was a possibility of getting the whole Heiwajima household into a whirlpool of danger-_

" _Flea, if you're thinking that your dad is gonna get my whole family in danger and all that shit, fuck it all. Kasuka has his own men of bodyguard, and my dad has his connections with all kinds of corporations and organizations involving his… uh, coworkers. And I'm the Beast of Ikebukuro." Shizuo added emphasis to the last sentence, enunciating every single word._

 _Izaya sighed. "Fine."_

 _ **Back to present…**_

So here the two were, sneaking into Shizuo's house at midnight, and trying to explain to Kichirou that they had not been having sex for the past 12 days straight at vacant lots with a serial killer on the loose.

"… Are you willing to tell me what brings you here then, Izaya-kun?"

Izaya was uncertain of what to do. Definitely, Kichirou didn't seem like a blabbermouth, or somebody that would pester the teen about the matter too much. But even so, he couldn't seem to tell the truth. "… I don't think I can, sir. I apologize."

Seeing the distressed scowl on Izaya's face, Kichirou shook his head and lighted a cigarette. Kasuka opened the veranda door accordingly, rubbing his eyes as he tried to chase away his sleep. "Shizuo, your bed was a bunk bed, right?" The oldest son nodded. "Well, give Izaya-kun the one you don't use. You have smaller clothes too, right? He can wear Kasuka's as well, since they look about the same size… Kasuka, give some of your leftover clothes to Izaya-kun, would you?"

The younger son dragged his body to his room and rummaged through his wardrobe.

"Um, thank you." Izaya, not knowing how to repay the hospitality, just thanked the man. Kichirou just smiled lightly and blew a puff of smoke out of his mouth.

"No need. I can't kick Shizuo's boyfriend out of the house, can I?"

"Jesus Christ, dad, he's not my-"

"Keep telling yourself that, honey. Anyway, I'm going to prepare for tomorrow's work. The bar is kind of busy nowadays, you see… I guess it's because it's the vacation season." He rubbed the back of his head and exited the living room. Shizuo grumbled curses under his breath and grabbed Izaya's wrist.

"Let's go."

The Orihara loosened at that, and followed the latter upstairs to his room.

"As expected."

"What do you mean, 'as expected' you asshole?"

"It looks like shit."

"Shut the fuck up." Shizuo kicked a few coke bottles out of his way, some half-filled with the sticky liquid. Crumbs from different packages of chips were all over the floor, and there was a strawberry cheesecake that was half-eaten lying on the wooden floor. Izaya just tiptoed through the mess, avoiding the grotesque garbage.

Due to the reason of it being unused, the bed that was at the top was clean – slightly dusty, but clean nevertheless. Izaya flattened out the sheets and brushed off the dust on the blanket and pillow. He then peeked down to look at Shizuo, who was casually looking at his phone, browsing the Internet. "Shizu-chan, do you have a change of clothes?"

"Kasuka will bring some."

As if on cue, Kasuka knocked on the door. He poked his head out, a shirt and a pair of shorts on his hand. "Do you need to take a shower? Because the bathroom is at the end of the corridor. The pink bottle is shampoo, and the white one is conditioner. Don't ask what the blue one is for, though. You should know what it is, being in a house full of guys. And-" Before he could finish talking, Mairu and Kururi leapt out into the room and stepped all over the empty bags and bottles in the room.

"Iza-nii, we're sleeping in Kichi's room today!" Mairu thumped her chest a little, as if it was something to boast about.

"Kichi?"

"I think she's talking about our dad." Kasuka mumbled, as he slowly led the girls back out of the room. "Come on girls, you need to go to sleep now." He whispered, although his voice was still monotone. Mairu and Kururi pouted a little, but eventually waved to Shizuo and Izaya and ran out of the bedroom. Kasuka left the clothes in front of the door.

Once they were out of earshot, Shizuo started. "Are you going to take a shower?"

"I took one two hours before I came here."

"Right."

"The blue thing in the bathroom… Kasuka isn't talking about lube, is he-"

"Izaya, shut it."

"Oh. Shizu-chan's quite the pervert, isn't he?"

"Shut your trap, Flea."

Izaya, amused by the blonde's reaction, wanted to tease the other teen more, but decided to stop. He didn't want to be punched by the blonde when he was at his home ground. So he casually rolled on his back and faced the ceiling, lying there in silence. Only the sound of Shizuo's phone going off at random moments due to the notification alerts echoed throughout the room. Izaya wished he could just remain in the said location for eternity – Shizuo sitting beneath him, the temperature of the room not too cold, not too hot, comfy sheets tickling his ankle, and being perfectly aware that he was absolutely safe and secure where he was.

Suddenly, the lights turned off and Shizuo opened the door. The raven-haired boy rose from the cushions and frowned, bewildered. "We need to brush our teeth. It's one, you idiot."

Scratching his shoulder blade, Izaya crawled down the ladder and dragged himself, bringing the clothes the younger Heiwajima left behind along with him. "Am I going to have to share a toothbrush with you? Because that is terrifying." He scrunched up his nose, earning a slap from Shizuo on his back.

"I'll get you a new one, you picky asshole."

"Wait, you were actually thinking about sharing a _toothbrush_? Shizu-chan, are you fucking serious?" Izaya questioned in horror, as Shizuo grunted.

"Lord, what's the big deal about it? It's just a toothbrush."

"It's unhygienic. Not to mention, I am not using something that has been brushing around every corner of the insides of your mouth."

"You make it sound like I'm giving you my old sex toy or something. Chill, fucker."

"I don't think you know how powerful a toothbrush when it comes to inappropriate things. Did you watch that anime, Shizu-chan? It's called the Monogatari series, and the brother casually makes out with his sister or whoever it was supposed to be-" **(A/N: For those who don't get this reference, it's from the anime** _ **Nisemonogatari**_ **from the Monogatari series. It's an inside joke about the voice actors, because the mentioned male's voice actor and Izaya's voice actor are the same person.)**

"I get it, you idiot." Shizuo shook his head, ruffling Izaya's hair. The shorter male froze, as Shizuo continued walking. He touched the locks of his black, raven hair – where Shizuo twirled his fingers through. His heart jumped a beat faster, as he caught up to Shizuo as soon as he woke up from his momentary trance.

"Here you go." The masculine boy handed the latter a black toothbrush. They proceeded to brushing their teeth, arguing over who got to use the cup and cleanse their mouth first. Izaya changed into the clothes that Kasuka had given him – they fit him quite well.

Shizuo was already pulling the sheets over his body when Izaya entered the room. The boy climbed up the ladder, as the blonde beneath him began to snore. _Well, that was fast._ Thinking as he closed his eyes, Izaya fell into his own dreamland.

* * *

"… _-izu-chan…"_

 _Who…_

" _Shizu…"_

 _Shizu?_

" _Shizu… chan…"_

" _Izaya?" Shizuo looked up in the darkness, attempting to spot the other teenager. He seemed to have lost his sense of direction, because he had no idea where the voice was coming from. "Flea, where are you?"_

" _Save…"_

 _Shizuo grew frantic. All the hairs on his body stood up straight, and he begged his five senses to work properly, just for a few minutes. The resonant voice was sending chills down his spine._

" _Save me…"_

 _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. "Izaya? Damn it, Izaya?" He flung his arms around through the vicinity, hoping he would hit something – someone – Orihara Izaya._

 _Suddenly, he felt fingers wrap around his ankle. They were wet, soft, and trembling against his skin. Shizuo looked down, only to see Izaya covered in blood, glass shards piercing through his pale body and gashes and bruises dotting the surface of white. Shizuo tried to reach down. "Izaya-"_

" _Shizuo… I…" The voice grew faint. The hand started to slip off his ankle. The blonde spread his arm out to catch the raven, but the boy was gone. A cry choked his throat, as Heiwajima Shizuo clawed the soil._

" _Izaya –"_

"IZAYA!"

Shizuo woke up in sweat. His hand in the air, he panted heavily, and looked around to check his surroundings. He was in his room. Throwing the blanket off, he climbed up the ladder to see how Izaya was actually doing. His inner fears whispered that he would be covered in blood, broken – just like he was in his dreams.

Izaya was curled up into a ball, his fists white as they clutched the futon. His breathing was uneven, and he appeared to be writhing in pain. Shizuo's expression softened. His wounds weren't fully healed, and it hadn't been a very long time since everything had occurred. He squeezed through the remaining space and gently shook Izaya.

"Flea." He mumbled. Izaya just winced, but didn't wake up from his nightmare. "Izaya." Shizuo repeated, this time softer. The raven boy stilled at that, as his eyes slowly fluttered open. Then those eyes widened, as he shot up from where he was and wrapped his arms around his body, as if trying to protect himself from an unknown danger. Shizuo caught his shoulders, and sat in front of the latter. "Izaya. It's a nightmare."

The Orihara blinked. His pants settled down, and his pulse seemed to grow calmer as seconds passed. "Shizu-chan?"

"Yeah. It's me." He grumbled. "Geez, you're noisy in your sleep." Lying, Shizuo ran his fingers through his own hair.

"I…" Izaya opened his mouth to explain, but then closed it again. "… I'm sorry."

"Whatever." Shizuo pushed Izaya back down on the bed, and then lied down next to him. Izaya glanced at him in confusion. The blonde glanced back, until he wrapped his arms around Izaya's shivering figure.

"Shizuo –"

"Shut up. It's cold."

"Turn off the air conditioner."

"Too lazy."

"But –"

"Let's sleep." Shizuo's arms tightened around Izaya's body. Izaya stared at Shizuo's closed eyes, hoping they would open again to stare back at his – but they didn't. Eventually he gave in, and snuggled into Shizuo's embrace, enjoying the warmth, until he finally fell asleep – this time, with no nightmares.

"You gotta be kidding me."

"Like fuck I am."

* * *

The next morning, the two boys woke up – and with having nothing to do during their temporary break, Shizuo decided that they should just sit in the living room like normal teenagers and watch a movie.

"My whole family – we're either gay or bi." Shizuo repeated, with absolutely no shame. It wasn't like Izaya was being judgmental – it just seemed so… preposterous. "Kasuka had 2 boyfriends and one girlfriend in the past. I think the only girl he was ever in love with was Hijiribe Ruri – yeah, the one on television. But they broke up half a year ago, because Kasuka apparently said that he was in love with a guy, and he couldn't afford to continue lying to himself and her… blah, blah, blah."

"And your dad?"

The blonde grunted, rolling his eyes. "Well, he's on a whole new level, for that. My dad married mom being perfectly aware of his sexuality – at least, that's what I think. He said he used to have boyfriends and all, but their family had this arranged marriage going on –"

"Those are _still_ a thing?" Izaya said repulsively, as Shizuo gave him a look.

"Whatever. It wasn't like my dad didn't love my mom. He said she was his most ideal type when it came to females – just that females weren't his cup of tea. They divorced after a few years, and my dad resigned from his company's position and started working at this gay bar ever since."

 _That explains._ Izaya thought, stuffing some more chips into his mouth. He was coming to understand why Shizuo's room was so messy. "What about Shizu-chan? Had any girlfriends?"

The blonde was slightly hesitant about his answer. "I thought about liking Varona. She was nice, but then I realized that I could only see her as my junior."

"Heh."

"What?" Seemingly irritated, Shizuo threw a milk carton across the room. "Jealous?"

Izaya glared at the latter menacingly. "As if."

"I didn't even know I was gay. No wonder I found no appeal in any of the girls I encountered in life." The stronger male scratched his shoulder.

"How did you figure it out, then?" Izaya whispered, and Shizuo just passed on an incredulous expression. He smashed his hand down on Izaya's fluff of hair and shook it around, as Izaya groaned loudly and yanked Shizuo's hand off. " _What_?"

"You couldn't be asking that without knowing the answer." The other male spat in hatred, but also a small playful side showing through the corners of his lips. "It's because of you, obviously – asshole."

"I knew you'd say that." Izaya smirked, leaning back down on the cushions, ignoring the deathly look Shizuo was giving him. "Shizu-chan is so easy to figure out, you know…" _But you always have that unexpected side under that easy cover…_ The boy mumbled in his head, keeping his eyes down on the remote.

Shizuo scoffed. "Well, I'm terribly sorry I'm that easy to figure out, sir." Izaya laughed at that, and leaned back down as he turned the channel to the daily news.

" _This is Shinjuku, in an abandoned room of Katakawa apartment. Yesterday, nine o' clock in the afternoon, Ms. Sato found a dead girl's body in this room. She appeared to be beaten to death with a weapon that seems to resemble something around the range of a bat or a hammer. The residents of this apartment claim that they had witnessed or heard Mr. Tennouji, the father of the girl, thrashing at the little girl late at night whenever he arrived home drunk. Further reports are to be made –"_

"Oi, Izaya."

" _-Once the investigation team discovers more about the exact causes of the girl's death. The police forces are also hunting down Mr. Tennouji, who appears to be the closest one to being the culprit of this murder. Also –"_

Shizuo yanked the remote out of Izaya's hand and turned it off. The raven glowered at the blonde and hissed. "What are you doing?"

"Don't watch things like that."

"I watch what I want."

"Well, too bad. This is my house. You're not watching stuff like that."

"Shizu-chan, give me back the remote."

"What good does it do for you if you just remind yourself of what you went through?" Shizuo whispered, almost painfully. "Stop it, Izaya." His tone made Izaya flinch.

"It does no good for me if I run away, too." He quietly argued. He could feel Shizuo's concern – he could've felt it from a mile away. But when they were just a few centimeters apart, he could feel it too well – too well, that it hurt. The small staccato rhythm in Shizuo's trembling voice as he talked, tickling his ears with small vibrations that sent sentimental sensations throughout his whole body. The slight melancholy expression, and the small moments where he could clench and unclench his fists. Izaya felt like he was crippling under the considerate actions of the blonde that normally others wouldn't notice – consideration that he had never known.

"You can run away." Shizuo said quickly, rush evident in his voice. "Running away doesn't necessarily mean you're afraid." He inhaled a deep breath of determination. Izaya looked up, expecting to see a panicky Shizuo – only to face a Heiwajima Shizuo that looked perfectly calm. The only sign that showed his nervousness was the slight wavering in his dark eyes. "It can also mean that you're willing to return – so that you can face the problem when you are in a better condition. So that you can win."

"Shizu…" Izaya didn't know what he was supposed to call the male at a moment like this. Shizu-chan sounded playful, but he wasn't as used to calling the latter Shizuo yet. "… Heiwajima… kun."

"What's with that shitty name?"

"It's _your_ name, mind you –" Izaya tried to point out, but was cut off midway as Shizuo put his face on and relaxed, sniffing the smaller boy's body. "… Shizu-chan, you're getting a lot more affectionate nowadays… it's not like you."

"I just feel like it." He wrapped his arms around Izaya's body, and squeezed it tight. "Call me Shizuo. Whatever you want. Shizu-chan is fine too, anyway. Anything but Heiwajima-kun."

"Then Heiwajima-kun."

"Curse you."

They stayed like that for a while. Izaya felt nice. He felt protected. Safe. He was secure inside Shizuo's embrace – no matter what happened, Shizuo could –

"Hey, Izaya." The said male's voice sounded muffled, rumbling on Izaya's shirt. "We can run back together."

"To hell?"

"I'm trying to keep a fucking serious mood going, you idiot. Stay in it for a while." Shizuo complained, but went on regardless. "You might've been alone when you ran away, but we can run back together. To face that man. I'll be with you. So don't push me away. Don't you fucking _dare_ push me away." He was dead serious. He was willing to make Izaya feel anything but precarious, trying to save him from the noxious memories.

"… Whatever." Izaya was forced to relinquish at the desperate attitude of the latter. "Pushing you away would be too much of a trouble to go through anyway." He slid down on to the sofa, and Shizuo twitched at the rather playful behavior of the raven. Shrugging, he allowed his shoulders to give in as his heavy figure landed on Izaya's thin one. "What are you –"

And their lips met. It wasn't a passionate kiss, nor a hungry make out session of the two boys like a normal couple would do. But it was enough – it was sufficient to get Shizuo's feelings through Izaya. His bestiality, his masculine personality, his crude mannerisms, and also his fear of losing Izaya – it all went through Izaya. When they parted, Shizuo didn't look back at Izaya to see what kind of expression he was making. Instead, he resumed to wrapping his arms around Izaya, this time at his neck – and just went to sleep.

"Shizuo, our teeth."

"Who cares about things like that right now?"

"I do."

"You smell fine for a Flea."

"Well, you stink for a Shizu-chan."

"Bear with it."

Izaya heaved a sigh at that, knowing better than to quarrel further about the trivial matter. Maybe Shizuo was correct. Not brushing your teeth, or not taking shower… it couldn't hurt, not doing those things for a day. They fell asleep soon, as Kichirou entered about thirty minutes later.

"Geez… what happened to saying he's not my boyfriend?" The man grumbled, throwing a blanket around two of the boys. But then he smiled warmly, looking at Shizuo. "It's great that you finally got somebody to live for, eh, Shizuo?"

It was a peaceful night, for once.

* * *

 **A/N: "What's this chapter called?" "The mushrooms of fluff made out of Shizaya."**

 **Again, sorry for the delayed update, guys. And also, if some of you are thinking this is too fast-paced, then I apologize for that. In truth, when I write romance, whether it's yaoi or yuri or straight, I just get impatient myself about all the upcoming scenes and I just quicken the pace. For those who thought that kiss was definitely not enough, do not worry – more scenes are to be presented to you.**

 **Anyway, have a lovely weekend!**


	6. Stop

**A/N: Hello, guys! Thanks for all your support, and the 100+ follows, as well as the 50+ reviews – I appreciate it! This chapter is way longer than the previous ones, because I was on a roll.**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6 – Stop**

"So…"

"What/Yeah?"

"…" Pause. "I DEMAND TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE FEW DAYS SCHOOL WAS CLOSED. NOW."

That was right. School had resumed into schedule, after the criminal, Hollywood had been arrested by the traffic police (despite just being the traffic police, they sure accomplished a lot). And since Heiwajima Shizuo and Orihara Izaya followed to a conclusion that they were technically "going out" by the society's generalizing terms, they had… well… decided to show some more affection for one another. Although, they didn't do much in an average person's perspective anyway.

"A lot happened." Izaya smiled slyly. "Shizu-chan, where should we start?"

"Just don't." Shizuo grumbled, as he pushed the rice ball into his mouth. "And besides, what's the matter? It's not like we're doing anything indifferent than our ordinary school days."

"' _It's not like we're doing anything indifferent'_? I BEG YOUR PARDON?" Shinra threw his pencil case high up into the air, as it hit a random student's head. "SINCE WHEN DID YOU GUYS EATING LUNCH TOGETHER BECOME AN 'INDIFFERENT' THING?"

"I don't know, like two fucking minutes ago when the bell rang?" The blonde delinquent stuffed the plastic wrapper into his pockets. "I don't get's what so extraordinary about the fact that we're eating lunch together."

Izaya snorted. "Yeah, says the person who blasted a desk on my head a week ago."

"That's because you put a whole bottle of mayonnaise and soy sauce all over my platter of Bolognese spaghetti."

"You're too luxurious for a delinquent, Shizu-chan. I never heard of a delinquent eating Bolognese spaghetti for lunch."

"I'll gladly take that as a compliment. Do you think I should change my title to 'The Luxurious Beast of Ikebukuro'?"

"Too long. How about Bolognese Beast? It has a nice alliteration to it."

"Huh. Not too bad coming from your naming sense."

"Wait. Wait. Just wait. Give me just- right, 5.923 seconds to process all this." Shinra stopped talking for what Izaya and Shizuo assumed was 5.923 seconds, and opened his mouth. "So, easily said, you guys… became best friends during that week where I spent my time with Celty at the mansion?"

Izaya twisted the lid of his water bottle. "No… I'd say it's a tad bit more complicated than that."

"What?"

"We're just two people that enjoy one night's pleasure with lubrication and heavy thrusts." As soon as Izaya said that, Shizuo landed a punch on the male's head. Shinra sat there in shock, wondering whether to believe the statement or not. Coming from Izaya, it didn't seem impossible.

"You got it all wrong." Shizuo grunted, as he sat back on his chair. "Sure, I guess we're… dating, but that doesn't change anything about our relationship at school. We are attempting to keep it secret, so I'll leave you with that."

Kishitani Shinra leaned back, moving his bangs out of the way. "So… okay. Going out… kind of like how Celty and I are, right?"

"No way." The couple said simultaneously, as imaginary arrows of pain shot through Shinra's fragile mental state.

"Like you said, we only started accepting this fact a week ago. We are completely capable of breaking up right now, at this location. We're not strongly bonded with this so-called love you and Celty share. It's… just a test." Shizuo sighed, resting his chin on his palm. Izaya gave him a look that clearly said 'It is?' but Shizuo ignored it.

However, for the good or bad, the Kishitani seemed less troubled after hearing the claimant's words. "I… understand. It is definitely challenging to adjust, but I'll manage. Besides, this means that you guys wouldn't be fighting anymore, right? Not trying to murder one another everyday? Less damage done to the school and all?" He suggested hopefully, to which both Izaya and Shizuo negatively responded.

"I can't guarantee that."

"Neither can I."

"DO YOU TWO BOTH UNDERSTAND WHAT DATING IS?!"

"It's love! And it's life! Kind of like that Shrek video on the internet." **(A/N: You'll become a ruined person if you watch that video. Don't.)**

"To be with someone you like?"

"Correct, Shizuo! And no, Izaya, it's not like the Shrek video. I mean everyone has his or her own fetishes, but I guess- you got me off track. So great – you guys are uh… dating, in secret. Am I correct?" Shinra waved his hand in the air.

Izaya crossed his arms, and scoffed. "Like I said, it's a bit more complicated than –"

"Yeah, that's the basic idea." Shizuo gruffly interrupted his boyfriend. "Izaya, stop extending our explanation."

"If you say so…" The raven looked slightly disappointed, as he sucked up the remnants in the juice box he held tightly in his hand. Shinra believed that he wouldn't ever be able to accept the fact that a 'submissive' Izaya could ever be in physical existence. "… Shinra, I would be grateful if you wouldn't look at me like I'm a phenomenal disaster." Izaya frowned in discomfort, as Shinra quickly replaced his previous expression with a sheepish grin.

"Sorry, I just found this whole situation very…" _Think, Shinra, think! You can't make this creep believe that you just assured yourself that he has gone insane!_ "… Amusing."

The Orihara looked rather skeptical about the response, and was also two hundred percent certain that the Kishitani didn't mean what he had claimed, what left it at that. He was too exhausted, for some odd reason he couldn't quite comprehend, to even argue or joke. Shizuo stated that his body must've been relieved after being released from the mental restraints of his father, which had let out the built up stress. It seemed like a logical reasoning coming from the blonde.

"Sleepy?" Shizuo questioned, as Shinra got sick of watching them and went to hang out with Celty.

"Hmn…" Yawning, Izaya responded. The blonde smirked, as he dropped the lunch box on Izaya's head. "Ow- Shizu-chan, how cruel…" He complained, as he casually grabbed a pair of scissors from his desk and threw them at Shizuo's face. The delinquent dodged it, as the scissors got stuck on the wall. Shizuo pulled it out and put it back on the wooden surface.

When the bell rang again, it was fourth period. The Heiwajima turned around on his seat and tapped Izaya's shoulder, waking the napping male. "What?" Izaya hissed in irritation, as the latter recoiled from touching Izaya more.

"I forgot to mention this earlier because of Shinra, but what do you want for dinner?" When the raven flashed him a puzzled look, Shizuo went to the explanation. "My dad is missing out today because of the load of customers today at his bar, and Kasuka (the best cook in the household) is traveling to Okinawa for a photo shoot around five when we get back home and won't be here until Thursday. So –"

"Heiwajima-kun? Can you please answer question thirty seven on the workbook –"

"So we need to visit the super market after school and buy some things for dinner, because our refrigerator is completely empty after yesterday's meal –"

"Heiwajima-kun, can you refrain from talking in the middle of class and –"

"And that's why. Anyway, what do you want for dinner? I'm not cooking so let's go with what you want –"

"Uh, Heiwa –"

" _Sensei_ , I'm having a serious conversation here. Can you _please_ ask somebody else to answer the _fucking_ question?" The blonde smiled sweetly, a hint of evil planted behind it. Gulping in fear, the teacher proceeded to asking another student in the room that was actually not trying to murder him.

Orihara Izaya merely snorted at the reaction. "So this conversation is that important that you needed to threaten our teacher?"

"Nah, I just didn't know the answer to the question."

"Ah. Great method." Izaya clucked his tongue, and then sat back and thought about what he wanted. "I like fatty tuna. You know, Otoro sushi?"

Heiwajima Shizuo's face twisted into a dissatisfied scowl. "You sure have a fancy palate for someone that is living off someone else's money. What do you think my family is – billionaires? Our budget is cutting short for this month to get Otoro sushi, and considering the number of mouths we have to feed… that's not the best choice."

"I'm joking, geez." The raven rolled his eyes. "Maybe we can have karaage or something. I saw the chicken thighs that were on sale the other day. Some miso or vegetable soup, and we can have salted radish for a side. How does that sound?"

"I hate vegetables." Shizuo grumbled, and Izaya clicked his fingers.

"Then vegetable soup it is." A punch came flying towards his head, but Izaya simply dodged it.

Unknown to the couple, the whole class could hear them – well, at least those that were sitting nearby. And Kishitani Shinra and Celty Sturluson were those that were sitting nearby. The young Kishitani sweated heavily with awkwardness, as Celty pitifully handed him a towel.

" _What happened between Izaya and Shizuo over the week? They seem awfully friendly- well, friendlier than they would usually be. And discussing their plans for dinner? Are they living together?"_ Celty typed in her PDA.

Shinra shook his head as he massaged his temples. "I don't know, my dear Celty. But one thing that I certainly do know, is that it is absolutely terrifying for something to be out of the ordinary."

Celty sat there for a while as she just stared at Shinra through her helmet. _"I think it's pretty sweet that they are going out. The vibe always existed, you know? It was just in a form of hatred, and that's where everything went downhill."_

"Yeah, I know. I know that perfectly well – that if Shizuo and Izaya had met on different conditions, the results would've changed. I mean, they even say that the difference between love and hate is paper-thin. The reason I find it more challenging to accept is probably because I can't believe the risks they took to accomplish that relationship."

" _Risks?"_

"That is right – risks. Shizuo is rather abrasive and brash, but he also has a soft place for people he cares for dearly. Izaya on the other hand, may seem like the constant jester than is unaffected by any form of harm, but he is surprisingly sensitive. They are in fact, complete opposites. 'Opposites attract', right? That's great, too. Now, the risk… it's when the two have a misunderstanding."

" _Why would they have a misunderstanding of the sort?"_

"Well, Izaya, if you put it in a good way, is a very cautious person. In a bad way, he is way too suspicious of other people, although I do not know why. He thinks of simple matters way too deeply – he would bring out over one hundred possibilities of why a person is feeling happy, when really, that person is just happy because they feel like being happy. Get what I mean?"

Celty nodded. Shinra went on.

"Meanwhile, Shizuo is a simpleton. I'm not saying he's dumb (although that is a factor we cannot ignore), but that's just who he is. If something is sweet, it's sweet. If something is evil, it's evil. He doesn't necessarily try to decipher the hidden meaning behind things – and if Shizuo ever has a time where he does notice that, it's due to his superhuman instincts. And due to his unbelievable strength, most believe that he is just a violent idiot.

"And that's why if Shizuo and Izaya get into a serious argument, it'd be really easy for them to misunderstand each other. I think Izaya and Shizuo both subconsciously realized that, but just didn't say anything about it. But if something happens…" Shinra glanced worriedly at the two, who were now throwing erasers at one another. The unlicensed doctor sniffed at that.

"Well, never mind."

* * *

"Uh, so what do radishes look like when they aren't cut?"

"There are red ones, but the ones in Japan are usually long and white."

"Oh. This one?"

"That's a peeled yam- you know what? Go find some onions and carrots for me. You do know what onions and carrots look like, right?" Izaya asked, vexed.

Shizuo just nodded, deciding it was wise to comply. "Alright." Then his phone beeped, notifying him that he had a new message. "Wait, let me just check this." The raven leaned in, scanning the message along with the blonde.

It was from Kasuka.

' _Nii-san, I'm sorry to tell you that my schedule was altered, and I was forced to take the plane to Okinawa immediately as soon as I woke up. I couldn't tell you earlier as my manager was rushing me all over the airport. I told Mairu and Kururi to keep the door shut and never open it to anyone else at all costs.'_

"At home alone, huh. Maybe we should hurry this and get back to see what they're doing." Izaya threw a radish into the basket. "I'm concerned about the condition of the house."

The blonde nodded in agreement, after experiencing the energy of the two young girls himself. "What else do we need?"

"Not much. Just the chicken and… right, you have rice, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, let's just get the chicken."

The two went around together, constantly fighting over every single minor issue they had. In the very end, they bought everything necessary and made their way back home. Shizuo held all the plastic bags, due to Izaya's abdomen still in the process of healing.

When the beast entered the neighborhood, Erika Karisawa's mother, Emi Karisawa approached them. "Shizuo, returning from the market?"

"Yes, Mrs. Karisawa."

"Oh, who's that next to you?" She poked her head to the side to get a better view of Orihara Izaya.

"Uh… a classmate. Name's Orihara Izaya."

"I see. Well, I saw somebody wandering around your doorstep today morning. I was bothered, so I decided to tell any one of your family members, but they just didn't seem to be around after young Kasuka-kun departed." The woman sighed heavily as she displayed a distressed expression, cupping her cheek with one hand. Izaya and Shizuo froze on their spots, as they both glanced at one another.

"Excuse me, but when was this man around?" Izaya's grip on Shizuo's shirt tightened. His heart was racing again, just like when Kururi had contacted him a few long days ago – that Mairu wasn't waking up.

In deep thought, the Karisawa tried to remember. "I think it was about two hours after Kasuka-kun left the house with his manager. I had my share of work to do after that so I couldn't see what happened later on during the day, but he seemed suspicious. He… I think he had black hair and a nice looking suit."

Without another word, Izaya raced towards the staircase to Shizuo's apartment. The blonde stuttered a hurried thanks to the woman, and ran behind the raven.

Izaya came to a stop in front of the entrance. The knob was destroyed completely, as if it had been detached due to brute force. His face paled instantly, as he pushed the door open (it opened a little too easily for his already vanishing comfort) and froze once again when he realized the state of the room.

The windows were shattered, and there were splotches of blood splattered on the shiny marble floor. Signs that showed struggle were evident, like the plastic vase that was rolling around, and the bottle of water that was scrunched up as if it had hit something, half empty as liquid that was mixed with blood flowed freely out of it. Orihara Izaya stepped forward – he was way too familiar with this vicinity, and how it looked like. It reminded him of when he was at home. "Kururi? Mairu?" He called out, his voice trembling with fear.

"Kururi, Mairu, if you two are around, answer me!" _Please._ Shouting on the top of his lungs, Izaya wished the girls would just fall out of ceiling and land on him. _Their room. Kichirou's room._ While Shizuo searched the living room in panic, Izaya tumbled past the corridor, tripping over the rough surface as he began grabbing on the walls until he slammed the door open.

The irony scent of his surroundings didn't relieve him at all. The bed sheets were pulled off and on the floor, with small, dry red handprints on the blanket. _Damn it…_ the raven swore, until a small note on the desk caught his attention.

 _I'll give you back the girls if you come in exchange. Meet me tonight, ten. You know the usual place. –O.S._

Beneath his signature, there was a small, lazily written address. Izaya knew it wasn't the meeting place at first glance. It read: [ _Ikebukuro, Bar Hibiscus_ ]. _He knows._ He crumpled the paper in disgust. First it was the Kishitani's house, and then it was Kichirou's workplace. This was a threat.

"Found them?" Shizuo carefully asked, trying his best not to startle the other as he panted in panic.

"No, but –" The intelligent teenager held himself back from telling the latter about the note. He never understood the reason why in movies, the protagonist didn't have the guts to tell the truth to their significant person. It seemed so… dumb, unreasonable, and shallow. As if they weren't thinking how easily events would flow if they just told the other person. But when Orihara Izaya stared into Heiwajima Shizuo's concerned auburn eyes, he was able to comprehend the character's actions. The events weren't going to flow well. Because, the characters, they…

They loved each other too much to go down _together_.

Izaya wanted to laugh. It was just like a week ago when he felt the same – when he wanted to laugh when he heard Shizuo's voice blotched with worry when he called him after the cruel beating. At then, he didn't know why he desired to live. If he died off, Kururi and Mairu would have a possibility of taking guaranteed safety. They might've ran away and found a new family. Orihara Shirou would be left innocent, or if lucky, arrested, and everything would end in dirty, tainted peace.

But Izaya wanted to live on. Survive, no matter what the costs were. That's why he went through the trouble of contacting Shizuo, not realizing that he was actually trying to make the blonde convey his true feelings. Even Orihara Izaya himself had never noticed his lingering emotions towards Heiwajima Shizuo; until his conscience struggled against his will to die, telling the raven that he needed to inform Shizuo of how he felt before he vanished from Earth's surface.

" _Save me."_

That's all he said. Perhaps, what he truly meant was…

" _I love you."_

He mentally snickered at himself. Izaya would never be able to come to accept that that was actually what he meant. He would _never_ accept it.

"… Izaya?" Shizuo frowned, stepping forward. "Izaya, are you alright?"

Izaya took a better look at the latter. He had blonde hair that possessed a dark shade. It must've been something like brown before he dyed it. He had auburn eyes. He had toned skin, a muscular build, and long legs. His white shirt was more like light gray, and his black shorts were fading. His words were laced with awkward worry. He was an idiot, alright. Izaya's fingers folded around the paper, as he tossed it quietly into the bin next to him.

"I'm fine." He mumbled, looking away.

Orihara Izaya didn't have the guts to tell Heiwajima Shizuo about what was really going on. It was only a few days ago that Izaya had come to accept the fact that Shizuo too, was human. He wasn't a beast that he convinced himself over the years to be. Despite the fact that the blonde possessed superhuman strength, that didn't make him an invincible monster.

It wasn't that Izaya didn't believe that the blonde could completely flatten Orihara Shirou with his power. He knew that if maybe Shizuo went on an insane rampage, Shirou could die, and everything would be resolved.

But no. Izaya still couldn't. Love was a double-edged sword, he recognized. Everything was great while it lasted, but… no matter how formidable the other person was, Izaya just… didn't want Shizuo to be damaged the way he was.

" _And it's fucking okay for you to be hurt that way?"_

Izaya could almost hear his mind reprimanding him in Shizuo's voice. No, it wasn't okay. But at least Izaya felt better if Shizuo was fine. He was being selfish, but that's what he wanted.

"You're pale." Shizuo simply said, pushing the stuff on the ground to the side. "Do you want me to contact the police? No, do you need a doctor? Izaya, hello?"

"I'm fine, okay?" Slightly irritated, Izaya replied. "And don't contact the police. I'll figure something out."

"Izaya, listen –"

"We'll continue searching by ourselves today. If we can't find them tomorrow, then fine, contact the police." Shizuo frowned at Izaya's words.

"Izaya, if we don't find them today, then we really won't know what might happen tomorrow. What if they die?"

"They won't." _I won't let it turn out that way. You stay out of this._

Shizuo hesitated. "I'm serious, we need to call the police. When do you think our next opportunity will be? We need to put your dad in prison as soon as possible. If it was this morning, he should still be nearby –"

"I told you, I'll figure something out –"

"And I told you before, to not push me away. Don't _dare_ try to push me away." Shizuo's voice tightened as he intervened the raven's words. Izaya's chest clenched at the remembrance of the conversation on the couch.

" _I'll be with you. So don't push me away. Don't you fucking_ dare _push me away."_

That occurred merely two days ago.

"… I'm not." _I want to be with you too. But it doesn't work that way, Shizuo._ "Just until tomorrow."

"But _why_?" The blonde snarled, as Izaya held his words of honesty back. His head was aching with pain. "Izaya –"

"Let's just leave it there." The raven-haired boy mumbled. "It's not like I can't live without the girls."

Shizuo's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You're lying. Think straight, Izaya."

"I'm not." _I am thinking straight. I swear you damned Heiwajima, I am thinking straight._

"Izaya."

"Shizu-chan, let's leave it there."

"No. Izaya, please." Shizuo implored, and Izaya felt his healing wounds itching. But he left the sensation be, and turned away from the doorframe and faced his back on the blonde. He then walked away without another word, feeling Shizuo's gaze of disbelief stabbing him in the most painful manner.

But he left.

* * *

Heiwajima Shizuo couldn't ever feel more violated than he was at that moment. He felt distrusted. Betrayed by none other than Izaya. He _knew_ there was more behind Izaya's façade. But he was just a dense idiot, and he wasn't clairvoyant. Reading humans' minds were one of the most difficult things to do, especially when that human being was Orihara Izaya.

Before he noticed his feelings for Izaya, the beast was certain that nobody apart from his family would acknowledge him for who he was (He even had a tough time accepting who he was himself for a extensive amount of time). And in all honesty, he was fine with that. If people couldn't receive his existence as an ordinary person, that sounded reasonable – he lived on with being able to forget the fact that he was a superhuman being.

Perhaps that was the reason why he had mistaken his feelings towards the mentioned flea as abhorrence. Orihara Izaya was a nuisance that kept pestering him for no rational causes. He always reminded Shizuo that he was a beastly human being, and that he wasn't 'normal'. Shizuo despised that.

But then after he started to see Izaya come into the classroom early morning severely injured, the feeling he witnessed within himself wasn't fulfillment, but anguish. He felt like his world was crashing down on him when Izaya uttered those two desperate words on the phone – the two words that Shizuo never knew could be so fatal to the heart.

 _Save me._

He never believed that it was a mistake. It was the right choice to acknowledge his feelings. It was a good thing that he confessed to Izaya. So where were they going wrong? _If only I could have a smarter brain like Shinra… damn it._

All he wanted to do was to protect Izaya. So why was the other pushing him away – even after that time where they promised not to do so?

"… Shizuo?" Heiwajima Kichirou entered the dining room, where Shizuo was sitting alone under the dimly lit lights. "Where's Izaya?" The man set his bag down on the dinner table. The blonde didn't respond, as his father just gave him a helpless look. "I called the police as soon as I got your call."

" _Don't call the police."_

Shizuo swallowed a regretful sensation of nothingness. "… Oh."

"I should've stayed. I knew something wasn't right, when I finally realized that it was 'the' Orihara Shirou that was involved…" Kichirou trailed off, as Shizuo looked up at the said man.

"What do you mean?"

When Shizuo inquired, the older man just passed on a soft smile and ruffled his son's hair. "Nothing in particular. Say, darling, why don't you go get yourself a meal? I have some unfinished business I need to take care of." Shizuo looked doubtful, but reluctantly obeyed what he was told to do and went to the microwave as he placed an instant meal inside the machine. Kichirou walked out of the kitchen, and turned on his phone and scrolled down his list of contacts, clicking on one name after a few seconds.

The ring went once, then twice – until the person picked up.

" _Hello?"_

"Shingen?" Kichirou removed his decorative necktie.

" _What, it's Kichirou? It's been a while – well, we're neighbors, but you know what I mean. Anyway, what's the matter?"_

"I need you to help me with something urgent… It's about Shirou."

Pause. _"… Shirou, huh. Saw his children yet? Izaya and the twin girls."_

"Yeah. It's shocking how I never realized it just by hearing the name. I should've noticed that they were his children – it's not like there are millions of Oriharas around in the world, more or less this country. I just… completely forgot about him after Kyoko died." Evidently stressed out, Kichirou placed himself on his muddled up bed. He refrained from touching the bloodstained sheets.

" _Shirou is hitting the boy, isn't he? He came into my house with Shizuo carrying the girls and him. He was in extremely bad shape."_

Kichirou bit into his nails. "I didn't know that. What is Shirou _thinking_?"

" _As if I would ever know. Shirou was always a mysterious guy. And definitely not the good kind of mysterious, if you ask me."_

Sighing, the man fell back on the bed.

"Shingen, I need you to hear me out on this one… And listen very carefully, because we don't have all day."

* * *

Orihara Izaya didn't move a single inch even when Shizuo dragged his body into the room. He also realized that the Heiwajima didn't bother to give him a concerned glance at all, as he just went to lie down on the bed. Izaya gritted his teeth and clenched the futon in remorse. He knew that he was the one that made events turn out this way, but even so, this isn't what he desired.

He just lied there, motionless as he waited for what seemed like an eternity. Inaudibly, he turned his phone on. It was nine-forty. He knew the usual place – it was the playground, where Shirou had always called him out to hang around when he was younger – when his mom was alive. The only reason why Shirou still called it the 'usual' place was because he enjoyed seeing Izaya's face twist into disgust. Nostalgic disgust, at that.

He knew his spotlight was on when he heard Shizuo starting to snore softly. Peeling the sheets off his body, he descended the creaky ladder, glad that he didn't change into his nightclothes.

Just before he twisted the doorknob, he looked at Heiwajima Shizuo. His eyes remained glued on the blonde's face. He then approached the male and leaned down, using his hands to support his body as they pushed on the mattress.

 _This_ was Heiwajima Shizuo, a human wearing the skin of a monster as he unconsciously sent those seductive looks every now and then, making Orihara Izaya go fluttery. He was also the man that was making him hesitate so much – and the man he wanted to defend, despite their immense difference in strength.

He wanted this man, out of all people, to stay out of his problematic life.

Their lips brushed as Izaya went down further. However, the raven didn't allow their lips to enclose. He believed he didn't have the right to kiss his boyfriend – not after lying to this simple idiot that he loved. He left their lips to stay barely in contact, as Shizuo winced underneath Izaya's body. Izaya felt the warmth of Shizuo's skin for one last time, and stepped away from the bed.

 _I love you too much, Shizuo._

The door closed soundlessly, and it was all over.

* * *

 **A/N: I honestly didn't want to follow the cliché ending due to my impatient personality – if this was supposed to end soon, I would've just allowed Shizuo to wake up and BREAK THAT FREAKING DISSATISFACTORY "BRUSH KISS" OH LORD.**

 **But then the story ends too fast… so yeah.**

 **I personally loved writing this chapter. I feel like it showed the reason why the two decided to accept their feelings. What do you guys think?**

 **Copper Nitrate**


	7. The Story of the Past

**A/N: Back with a lovely update! Or so I think. Thanks a lot for all the immense support as well, guys. Although, I was extremely troubled what to think of the review count being '69' for a while… Lol, joking.**

 **Also, this chapter may seem unnecessary or boring due to the flashbacks that are irrelevant to the ship of Shizaya, but regardless, it is very crucial to the plot. Please don't skip them.**

 **The** _italicized_ **words mean either flashback scenes, or thoughts. It'd be easy to tell them apart from the context, but I just wanted to make sure people wouldn't get confused while reading.**

 **Please, help yourselves!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7 – The Story of the Past**

 _ **Ikebukuro, Raira High School, 198X…**_

" _Shirou! Hey, Shirou!"_

" _What? The annoyed voice, brown hair, and dark green eyes. Resembling one of those foreigners, a boy spoke with personality. "I'm trying to study, Shingen."_

" _Haha, you're always all about the studies. No wonder you're the smartest one in the whole grade." Kishitani Shingen waved his arms in the air, wearing a lab coat over his uniform. "I tried out a new experiment on Kichirou, you know? About his super strength. It really was quite fascinating – the results and the process."_

" _I'm not interested." Shirou reverted his attention to the novel he was engaging himself with. He was never on good terms with Heiwajima Kichirou – they were like the meeting of water and oil, the compatibility of fire and ice. They never mixed, or matched. Despite that fact, they weren't exactly on bad terms, either. It was all rather complicated to explain with words. "Why are you so intrigued about inhuman characteristics? It's better off to be left off as a mystery, if you inquire of my opinion."_

 _Shingen, however, simply shrugged and slumped down on his chair. "That's because you don't know the art of the world of science, my dear friend. Oh, right! How about you come over to my house today with Kichirou, and I'll give you a one-hour lecture about the biology of human –"_

" _I'll refuse."_

" _But Kyouko is coming over as well."_

 _Orihara Shirou froze at that. "… Who?"_

" _You know," Shirou smirked, knowing that he had hit the bull's eye. "Kyouko. Mitanozuka Kyouko. The girl in our class, the one with the nice eyes and ponytail. I invited her over."_

 _With a small silence of hesitation in between, Shirou grumbled. "… I'll think about it."_

" _Great!" Kishitani Shingen clapped his hands excitedly together. But then, his expression turned solemn as he reminded himself about Shirou's grave situation. "Do you think your father would approve?"_

 _Shirou flinched, feeling his fresh bruise ache at the remembrance. "I'll find a way."_

 _The friend folded his arms, and let out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry I said anything. Maybe it was beneficial for you if I didn't mention –"_

" _Ara, Orihara-kun!"_

 _This girl, Mitanozuka Kyouko, was not a breathtaking female in particular. She definitely had some beautiful eyes and a swinging ponytail that was bound to capture one's attention at some point. But it wasn't those components that Shirou cared about – it was the girl's special character. The brightness surrounding her body almost seemed to neutralize his inner darkness into something more… ordinary._

 _Kyouko grabbed his hand, which almost made Shirou take a step back as his face flushed dark red. "Orihara-kun, are you going to Shin-chan's house today as well?" Her gigantic orbs glittered. Shingen looked away, his face paling as he turned his head towards the wall in guilt – he already was aware of the fact that Shirou could never manage to say no when Kyouko was giving him such a hopeful gaze._

" _Uh, yeah! Sure I am." The Orihara said a little too quickly. "You are too, Mitanozuka-san?"_

 _When Kyouko playfully hit Shirou's chest, Shingen's face went even paler. Shirou looked like he was about to faint from the heat. "Oh gosh, I love your formalities! You can call me Kyouko, Orihara-kun! Maybe I should call you Shirou-kun as well? Shin-chan's friends are my friends, anyway."_

" _T-then, Kyouko." Shirou mumbled in a very low voice, as Kyouko nodded._

" _Yes, I am going too, Shirou-kun."_

 _It was then when the romance seemed to bloom, with Shirou not considering the consequences._

Kishitani Shingen stared dreamily out the window. It was approximately thirty something years ago when the event occurred, but the scene was still fresh and alive in his head. It was a long past he preferred not to recall – the transformation of the three best friends' relationship was terrifying, but it was what he had came to accept.

The morning dawn hit his goggles, as Shingen leaned back. He had spent the whole night having an extensive conversation with Heiwajima Kichirou at his own house, whom he had completely, ended any form of contact with before. Although they were still neighbors, the two had never encountered one another during the past years, after Orihara (or as previously introduced, Mitanozuka) Kyouko passed away, at her funeral.

Kichirou told Shirou it was an unfortunate accident, nothing more and nothing less. Shingen on the other hand, told the latter that every human was bound to face death at some point in their life, and that Kyouko was just forced to face it a little earlier than the rest of the group. But even then, for some unknown reason, Orihara Shirou did not say anything. Even until after twelve years, Kishitani Shingen was unaware of the cause behind Shirou's silence.

And now, after their separation, everything had changed. Heiwajima Kichirou divorced his wife, and gradually lost his superhuman powers of overwhelming strength – instead, it was passed onto his first son. Shingen also divorced his previous wife, Aizome Kaname, and remarried as he met his coworker, Emilia. He did realize something was wrong the first time Izaya entered his house with Shinra, covered in wounds. But Izaya's excuse was that he was caught up in a gang fight, and Shingen didn't interrogate the boy further.

The second time was when Heiwajima Shizuo brought all the siblings over, asking for assistance. Judging by Kururi's reaction, Shingen couldn't assume that it was also a mere gang fight they were involved in. He had his suspicions, but he wanted to think otherwise, mainly because of what Orihara Shirou had vowed to himself during his youthful years, a few months before his marriage.

" _I'll never become like that man, Orihara Torakichi. I'll tell my children I love them everyday, and play with them too. I won't ever raise a hand against them and simply label it as discipline. I promise you, Shingen." Shirou raised his voice, talking in an enthusiastic manner._

 _Kishitani Shingen, now in his twenties, brushed it off. "I get it, I get it. How's Kyouko doing?"_

" _She's doing great."_

 _This time, Heiwajima Kichirou butted in. "That's great and all, but make sure you don't annoy the hell out of her with your fucked up personality."_

" _Mind your own business, Kichi-chan. You have your own woman to care about."_

Shirou had promised in front of both friends that he would never abuse his children – just like the way he was abused by his father, Orihara Torakichi. Shingen wanted to trust his best friend, and that was that. But he became dubious as days passed, and Kichirou seemed to think the same.

It was truly infuriating. Kishitani Shingen, Heiwajima Kichirou, Orihara Shirou, and Mitanozuka Kyouko. Where had it all gone wrong? It was beyond Shingen's knowledge, and in all honesty, he was fearful to uncover the truth. He could tell by Kichirou's tone, that he was in the same boat as he was.

The last thing the older Kishitani expected was his son to form a close bond with his former best friends' children. It was now Heiwajima Shizuo, Orihara Izaya, and Kishitani Shinra. The generation was continuing, and Shingen was uncertain whether that was a joyful thing. Although, the resemblance was rather creepy – between them and their children.

Shizuo was so alike with his father, in terms that he possessed the older man's foul mouth and strength, along with the dense head and the uncontrollable temper. Izaya had his father's intelligence and slightly evil personality, while Shinra just followed his father's way with medicine and nerdy experiments.

The conversation he shared merely a few hours ago with Heiwajima Kichirou came back to his mind.

" _Shingen… I do not want history to repeat."_

" _So do I."_

" _It already is, though. Shirou and his children – it isn't right. It isn't right at all, you know that, right?"_

" _Yes, I do know. What do you take me for, an idiot? Don't underestimate the intellect of an experienced member of the Nebula, Kichirou."_

 _Kichirou leaned back exhaustively on the couch. "It already is repeating, much to my disappointment. After Kyouko's death… I don't even know what to assume anymore. And assumptions are supposed be the easiest to thing to do, first."_

" _Not necessarily. And it is not confirmed whether Shirou is really abusing his own children, albeit the percentage of that being factual is estimated to be about 92 percent, or precisely 92. 3987 percent. However, when proved, I will not hesitate to take action in order to support the police forces in arresting Shirou. I hope… I do hope you'll do so as well, Kichirou." Shingen said hesitantly. He knew that Kichirou was a one that cherished relationships – whether it was romantic, or in matters of friendship. The bond he possessed with Shirou was an odd one, but was once considered a friendship nevertheless._

 _Kichirou averted his gaze, his dark brown hair swaying at the movement. "… I will. The safety of the children is top priority, after all. We cannot have a criminal running loose on the streets now, can we?"_

" _We indeed can, but I want to prevent that from happening as much as possible." Kishitani Shingen nodded, conversing through his rather paranoid oxygen mask. "I'll investigate this more with Emilia, and while being on it… I'll try finding more information about Kyouko and Shirou. I need your assistance when it comes to protecting the girls, and Izaya."_

" _And your son?"_

" _He probably knows a handful – I saw him analyzing some papers yesterday."_

" _No, I mean… what if any harm approaches him?"_

 _Shingen looked up, and Kichirou could see the glowering eyes through the goggles. "If that's the case, I will not hesitate for a nanosecond to dissect Shirou's body. Shinra is not going to be involved with any violence in this incident." His friend flinched at the threatening aura. "… But again, it isn't like my son will voluntarily jump into a riot without a reasonable cause. He's a sensible kid – he'll stay out of the red zone, most of the time. The problem is_ your _son, Kichirou."_

" _I agree." Kichirou laughed a little. "He was always such a temperamental child. Really, he took up all the useless personality traits from me. And not to mention, he now loves Shirou's son… It's a first, you know? For him to ever love someone apart from his family. And Shizuo gets extremely protective of those he loves. Which is precisely why this matter… is troubling."_

" _Talk to the boy." Shingen said smoothly, "I bet he'll listen to you. You're the original beast of Ikebukuro, anyway."_

" _Oh, that's history."_

" _History repeats, Kichirou."_

It was a friendly yet serious conversation that they first shared in years. Shingen was quite unsure of how to label it – but one thing he was certain about was that the whole situation wasn't to his liking.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps. Kishitani Shingen glanced at the clock – it was eight in the morning. "Emilia, is that –"

"Dad, I'm going out." Shinra muttered, his shirt worn backward and his socks being different colors. He was obviously in a hurry, as he didn't seem to notice how hideous he looked. "Don't call me – I'll be busy."

"What's going on?" Shingen frowned under his mask.

"Shizuo- no, Izaya, well, yeah, Izaya – he disappeared."

"What?"

"He disappeared when Shizuo woke up. Shizuo called me six minutes ago, saying that he needed my help. He was panicking a lot and- great, my shirt!"

"And socks." Shingen added helpfully, as his son quietly cursed under his breath, running back up to his closet to get a new pair of matching socks. Then he came rushing down, and slammed the door shut without another word to his father. The older Kishitani heaved a sigh, as he went to his office and turned on his computer.

 _Time to make my move, then._

* * *

Heiwajima Shizuo's head went instantly blank when he didn't see Orihara Izaya on the top bed. He searched the whole house, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. So he had immediately contacted Shinra, who hung up and rushed to his front door exactly eight minutes after receiving his call.

"Shinra- he- Izaya, I just don't know –"

"Calm down, Shizuo." Shinra snapped, as he stepped into the house. Kichirou was still sleeping, unaware of the chaos occurring outside. "Does your father know about this?"

"No."

"Well, we'll inform him later. When was the last time you saw Izaya?"

"Yesterday night, around… half past nine. He was on his bed, then."

"How was he acting?"

"Weird."

"Wow. Someone is setting the Guinness Record for being the most specific person in the universe."

"Alright, I'll elaborate! Elaboration… and specification. Well, to provide a backstory, my house was ransacked when we came back from school yesterday, and Izaya's sisters – they were gone. We searched the whole house, and then Izaya just started acting weird when we met in my dad's room. He was going all nonsensical and said he didn't care what happened to his sisters and shit, and was… he wasn't himself." Shizuo almost sounded pained when he muttered the last segment.

Shinra however, calmly made his deductions. Orihara Izaya was an exceptional actor, but there were certainly situations and people where he just couldn't put up an act against. Kishitani Shinra used to know one person that Izaya could never lie to, and that was his own father. Now there seemed to be another human being added to the minority list – and that was Heiwajima Shizuo. _Sucks to be you, Izaya._ Kishitani sighed. "Well, it's too early to jump to conclusions, although I can kinda grasp the basic idea of what's going on. Izaya goes crazy when it comes to sisters, after all. Hey, mind showing me your dad's room?"

"Yeah." Shizuo frowned in confusion, but led the boy up to the parent's room.

Kichirou was awake, and was on the phone. He looked quite pale – panicked, if one had to say. Frantically whispering something over the receiver, he ran his fingers through his hair, until he noticed Shizuo and Shinra by the doorstep. Gently putting the hand over his phone, Kichirou smiled. "What is it, boys?"

"I came to… inspect the room, Kichirou-san." Shinra fixed the position of his spectacles. "I apologize for the rather sudden intrusion."

"No, no… I just heard the chaos from Shingen. So Orihara-kun is out of the house, now? Well, that certainly is a problem… anyway, take your time. I need to go to work for the meantime, but I'll return as soon as possible." Kichirou mumbled, although evidently distracted, as he continued talking to the person the teenagers assumed was Kishitani Shingen.

When the door shut behind them, Shinra spoke up immediately. "So, where were you and Izaya and standing when you barged into the room?"

"Uh…" Shizuo fumbled around, trying to remember the precise locations. "I think I was around here…" He stepped a few centimeters in front of the door, and then moved. "… And Izaya was right about here." He then took a few strides forward, and stood in front of the desk, where existed a trash bin right beneath. "He had his back facing the desk, if that helps anyhow."

 _As I hypothesized._ Shinra nodded in approval. "I get an idea of what occurred. Thank Izaya for being such a terrible actor around you."

"What?"

"Nothing. Anyway, Shizuo, your dad didn't clear out his bin yesterday, right?" Shinra kneeled down in front of the bin that had some pieces of paper here and there. "I'm seriously hoping he didn't, because I am not willing to follow the rubbish truck around town."

Shizuo shook his head, his responses always a second faster than usual – which Shinra found very convenient. "No. We were all too preoccupied with cleaning the house and everything. It was really a mess."

"I don't doubt your words." Taking out his tongs, Shinra reached in to the bin and fondled around, tossing out tissues and beer cans. The blonde delinquent made a pile of the trash his best friend was casually throwing out, not uttering even a syllable of complaint. Then Shinra reached a crumpled note, and he opened it. _Bingo._

"Found something?" Shizuo stood up and made his move towards Shinra. The young doctor scanned the note that was now a bit blurry, stained with beer. "What's that?"

Putting the tongs back in his pocket, Shinra grunted. "It's bad news."

"What now? Give me that, Shinra." Grumbling, Shizuo made a face as he snatched the note out of his friend's hands. He read through the wriggly words that were out of shape, somehow still finding them legible. His eyes widened in shock, and then filled with fury. "Curse everything." He whispered under his breath, as Shinra just looked down on the floor with slight guilt of not finding out faster. "That idiotic flea…"

"There's nothing we can do, at least for now. We'll have to wait until the police inform us with further data about Shirou and his whereabouts, and then track him down. If Shirou is serious about the deal he had suggested to Izaya, which I am very skeptical about – what was that idiot thinking? But anyway, if he is, then Mairu and Kururi will certainly be able to tell us something."

"No way."

"… Shizuo?"

"There's no fucking way I can wait that long."

Shinra closed his eyes. "I don't want to wait too. But Shizuo, we're two teenagers, putting aside the fact that I am an unlicensed doctor and you are the beast of this town. We are going up against not just somebody called Orihara Izaya's dad (heck, that would make everything so easier to handle) but a person that owns one of the most successful companies in Japan. There's no possibility that we can win – if I have to give you a percentage, our chances of victory is exactly 0. 0271 percent."

"I don't care about the possibilities. What if Izaya actually…" Shizuo held down a choking sob. "What if he actually dies this time?" However, this statement of concern only earned a punch on the head from Shinra, who gave Shizuo a calm yet furious glare.

"Don't underestimate Orihara Izaya. It's the worst thing to do."

Indeed, it was.

* * *

Izaya groaned, as he woke up. _Where am I?_ He stirred, only to hiss at the shot of pain that ran up his quivering spine. _Fuck…_ Barely being able to move, he observed his surroundings. He was obviously not at home, or Shizuo's for that matter- wait, Shizuo?

The memories came flooding back into his head, as his face darkened at the remembrance. "Now I've done it." Grunting, he reminisced about the events that occurred the previous night.

 _It was nine-fifty when he was at the playground. There was no good for him in coming ten minutes early, but there was no harm either. He shivered. It was oddly chilly that night – and there wasn't anyone to provide him warmth._ No, that's not it… _He mentally corrected himself – it was always like that. That's right, Heiwajima Shizuo was unusual disturbance that entered his life. Izaya wasn't supposed to adapt his one-week lifestyle, after the years he had lived like a loner._

" _Never knew you'd really come."_

 _A chill ran through Izaya's whole body. He hated it. He hated how his body started crunching inward due to the fear, not the cold. It was all because of Orihara Shirou that he had suffer this much._

 _But nevertheless, he turned to face the man. He had an unconscious Kururi and Mairu on the ground. "I never knew you'd really keep your promise." Izaya commented, and Shirou snorted, as if Izaya was some sort of comic relief to a serious movie._

" _I didn't even give them back to you yet. What makes you think –"_

 _But the younger Orihara didn't give the man a chance to finish. He lunged forward with all his might, and sent the older man staggering backward, eventually as he lost his balance and stumbled over his own feet. "KURURI, MAIRU, NOW!" The teenager shouted, quickly untying his sisters from the restraints. The girls, seemingly awake from the very beginning, nodded, as they tugged on Izaya's sleeve._

" _Iza-nii, you come with us too/Nii-chan, you need come too!" The twins said simultaneously, but Shirou was already regaining his normal composure. Izaya bit his bottom lip – he already knew from the start that he only possessed one chance to free his siblings, and that he probably wouldn't have a route of escape himself._

 _He lightly pushed the girls forward and gave them an encouraging brotherly smile. "I'll follow you girls later. Now, just run. Find someone to help you, alright? Quick, we don't have a lot of time." He urged them, as they exchanged worried glances. Despite how young they both were, they had both witnessed too much for their age to believe their brother's words. But they also acknowledged the sore fact that if they didn't elude from their position, Izaya might get into more trouble._

 _So they ran._

 _Izaya turned back, and instantly was kicked by his own father. "You fucking little shit." He snarled, as he threw another fierce punch at the boy. "You just fucking had to do that." Coughing, Izaya struggled against the man – but as always, Shirou was simply too powerful for him to deal with alone._

 _Several more men arrived – Izaya recognized some of them from his father's company. "Take care of him, and confine him in the storage room. Teach him a lesson." Sneering, the man made his exit as he got into the car. Izaya's eyes widened in only slight terror – he couldn't allow other people to know his weakness._

" _Well, here goes." A gruff voice said first, as his fist came in contact with Izaya's lower torso. If it was just a fist it might've been bearable, but considering the male's physical size, and not the mention the spiky iron rings we was wearing on every single finger, Izaya almost knocked out at the impact. The metal pierced his body, and he felt blood trickling out from the wound. "I have nothing against you, but the cash is the cash."_

 _Another man grabbed hold of a dizzy Izaya, as two men started beating him into a pulp. One just kept on aiming for his damn chest, and the other for his legs. Later on he was in too much pain, he almost forgot who he was. "Ugh…" He spurted out the crimson liquid from his mouth, as he hung limply in the man's hold. "… Hurts…" Murmuring silently, Izaya felt himself slipping, as the final blow hit him directly in the face._

"It was a mistake to pass out like that…" He said to himself aloud, still finding it quite difficult to move. His body was painted with colorful bruises that were visible through the white shirt he was wearing, now saturated in dried blood. The places where the spikes went through were untreated, leaving him with immense pain. It hurt him so much, but he couldn't even muster up the strength to cry.

Pathetic. He was _so_ pathetic.

He was now locked up in this storage room that had absolutely nothing he could make a use out of, and to be honest, even if there were something, Izaya wasn't entirely sure whether he would be able to move a muscle and take a plan to action. _I can't even think… Oh no, I feel like vomiting._ Covering his mouth hastily with his mouth, the raven collapsed on the ground and released uneven breaths of agony. "Shizu-chan…" He whimpered, slightly regretting that he had actually mentally refused to receive help from the blonde. It seemed like the right decision at the time, but it really broke Izaya to be in a state like this _again_.

Inhaling a deep breath of determination, Orihara Izaya tried to focus his undivided attention on scheming a way to get out. He promised Kururi and Mairu – he couldn't possibly let them down. Albeit it was pitch-black, his eyes were gradually adjusting to the tone of brightness, as he got a better look of the area.

There was a metal door a few meters to his left, and there was no window or whatsoever to be in sight. _I need something… Someone…_ He dragged himself, using his better hand to reach the door. Fumbling over the rusty metal, the injured teen managed to touch the doorknob. Next to it was a lock – a lock that could be undone with a password from the inside.

Orihara Izaya lightened up – so there _was_ a chance of escape. _But that's odd… That man should be aware of what I am capable of. Oh well, that's not my business._ The password was supposed to be four numbers, judging by the way the system appeared. "Just how many combinations are there with four digit numbers? A million?" Izaya put on a disgruntled expression, as he slumped back, out of energy.

 _Oh wait… what's this?_ Izaya frowned, as he felt his fingertips brush against something that seemed caved in – carved, to be precise. _A carving? In a place like this – on the floor, too?_ Due to the fact that his vision hadn't cleared enough to actually see the carving, Izaya just started using his index finger to follow the trail of it.

"Zero…" He traced the number, as the carving followed. "Five… Zero… Four." Stopping midway, Izaya's eyebrows creased in suspicion. There was obviously no harm done even if he actually tried out a million combinations – but this was too much a coincidence. Someone was obviously trying to assist him out of the predicament he was stuck in – so who was it?

 _Whatever._ Izaya rolled his eyes, as he turned around and entered in the four digits, his finger trembling.

 _Click!_

"Holy shit, it actually worked?" He mumbled in awe, but tumbled out of the room, trying his best not to leave a trail of blood behind.

But he was too lost in his thoughts, that he had never noticed the familiarity of the password.


	8. Perception

**A/N: High school sucks. Sophomore year is terrifying. 4 AP classes, here I come.**

 **So, guys. You might've been wondering why this idiotic author hasn't been updating… well, I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, wanted to update too. But as my introductory complaints above, my AP classes haven't been leaving me alone. I've been nominated as the class representative for my grade, and things have been tough all over. But here is the update!**

 **P.S.**

 **I'm sorry for the lack of Shizaya in recent chapters… but don't worry, it's all gonna come in real soon. Believe me.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8 – Perception**

Kishitani Shinra believed that he knew what he was doing. He was a skilled human being. Saving a kidnapped friend shouldn't have been much of big deal, more or less a major predicament to fuss over.

Apparently, that wasn't the case.

"Not this one… not this one… not this one!" He jammed his fist through the desk, although failing in fully penetrating the wooden object. Celty, who was quietly (she was always quiet, but as in, restraining her smoke flying all over the place to represent the anxiety she was feeling) watching at the sidelines, put her cup of coffee down abruptly and rushed over to the unlicensed doctor.

[ _Shinra, you need to calm down_.]

"I know, Celty, I know." He slumped down on his spinning chair. "But I can't help it. It normally never takes me three days to find something so simple like a mere location. Truly frustrating – is this how Watson felt when Holmes would ramble on and on about the theories but never reaching the main point?"

[ _Well… that's a considerable analogy, yes. But you have to note the fact that we are not here saving a normal person from a normal kidnapper. This is Izaya and one of the most influential figures in Japan we are talking about_.]

"Touché." Clucking his tongue, Shinra leaned back on his chair. "By the way, Celty. Have you, by any slim chance, know what happened presumably about… twenty or so years ago with my dad, Heiwajima-san, and Orihara-san?"

The woman froze for a while. This wasn't out of realization or a shocking discovery – it was just her in deep thought. Smoke simmered out of the surface of her uncovered neck, as she held her index finger up like an antenna.

[ _I do know the fact that they used to be very close. The only time where they were truly separated was at Kyouko-san's funeral._ ]

"Great. At least that one's confirmed. The thing is, I've been checking Ikebukuro Hospital's medical records involving the overall examination of the anatomy of Mitanozuka Kyouko by hacking into the Police Security System and looking through the files around then. It turns out that she did not die from a car accident – it was Orihara Shirou that manipulated the power of the broadcasting forces and 'transformed' the truth." Shinra placed his fresh cup of coffee down on the desk. Celty seemed interested.

"It actually turns out that she had been murdered by another man – I found it rather unsettling, when I made this particular discovery – but apparently she had many affairs going on."

Celty's smoke twisted in the opposite direction. [ _Affair? You mean…_ ]

The young Kishitani nodded grimly. "She was cheating on Orihara Shirou, essentially saying. According to the interview notes, she had seven affirmed boyfriends, and two others that didn't state themselves. That makes a total of nine boyfriends she was in a sexual relationship with. Three were ordinary young businessmen, each working for different companies that were affiliated with the Orihara Inc. One was a middle-aged professor that taught Japanese Literature at Tokyo University- oh, and he was also married then. One was a kindergarten teacher, the other a vet, and the last confirmed one recorded in the interview was an industrial engineer."

[ _Which one of those seven killed her?_ ]

"The police arrested two suspects – it turned out that one of the businessmen, his name was Ushiko Endo, by the way – have murdered her by stabbing her lower abdomen, resulting in massive blood loss that eventually led to death. He basically turned himself in to the police, because he couldn't take the pressure. He was also the first one that found out about Kyouko's lifestyle and her various affairs."

Celty shook her head pitifully. [ _Something's always not right about that Orihara household, isn't it?_ ]

Shinra seemed to be in agreement on that part. "I have to admit, the Orihara family line does have a rather… unlucky reputation for their romantic affairs. Orihara Shirou's father was also known as a drug addict, and his mother inflicted mental abuse on her son and then committed suicide, possibly out of whim. Orihara Shirou thought he found true love, but his wife revealed her actual identity as a cheating bitch. And Izaya…" He trailed off, as the last portion of his invisible sentence was explanatory.

[ _We'll just have to pray that he's going to be safe._ ]

"Oh, we're not praying. We're not religious anyway. And thanks to you, I had some time to clear up my mind. I think I know where to begin. You're always so helpful, Celty." Shinra twirled around in his chair, and faced the computer. "Take a guess – who do you think I will go for, first?"

Celty merely paused, and then held up the device. [ _I don't know, the murderer of Kyouko?_ ]

"Close," The doctor grinned. "But no." He began typing away on his laptop madly, opening several tabs at once and scanning through them. "You see, Celty. There's a twist to every single savory story. The marriage between Orihara Shirou and Mitanozuka Kyouko was… well, it was a happy one. Supposedly happy. At least, according to my father and Shizuo's, it must've been. Both sides were joyful. But a certain idea occurred to me – what if… what if there was a component that caused Kyouko to change, transform? What would it be?"

Celty waited amongst Shinra's conspiracies.

"I looked through the edited family records of the Orihara family, Celty. Orihara Shirou had a twin – an identical male twin that looked just like him."

* * *

Izaya ran.

No, he limped.

Or maybe walked.

It didn't matter which verb he was putting into action. The important thing was that he was moving. He couldn't afford to stop. It was an opportune moment – a miracle that happened after his torture of longevity. Pain? Who cares about it? Elusion was the focus of this game. If he lost it, it was all over.

His pants rung in his very own ears, as his fingers clawed on the wall. He probably broken a bone or two, and broken bones hurt. He groaned, grasping his blood-soaked shirt. If Shizuo was here-

 _No._ Izaya stopped himself. _I can't possibly do something as horrid as bring up Shizuo into this matter again. Get yourself together, Orihara Izaya._

His footsteps stopped when he heard a conversation from a few meters away, edging closer and closer to his very location. _Great._ Pushing himself backward, he placed himself flat on the wall and tried to calm his heavy breathing by biting on a bruised finger. To soothe one pain, it was always good to focus on another.

"… And so, about the family records…"

"Really? I always thought…"

"No, his real name is…"

Albeit only being able to pick up a few words, it was sufficient to perk his interest. _Real… name?_ Just then, his foot moved forward and lightly tapped a metal box in front, making the stack lose balance and fall over.

"Shit-" Izaya hissed, as he dodged the falling objects that crashed on the floor.

"Who's there!" The men exclaimed, as Izaya made his run for it. His luck was so great that he wanted to cry.

 _Calm down._ Izaya forcefully held down his exhausted pants, trying to slow down his heartbeat. _Think, Orihara Izaya. You're a smart guy. This is a gamble. It is a do or die game. If Shirou finds me out, I'm dead. I could seek assistance from that mysterious person that wrote down the password, but… no, I don't have enough time for that._ _I need to plan an escape out of here… while fleeing from those men. They don't seem very strong, but in this state… I'll be overpowered, both by strength and number._

"… Number?" An idea sparked in his mind. "If I hack the records right now…" Whispering, Izaya edged further towards the nearby room. Quickly checking if its unlocked, he twisted the doorknob and silently entered. _Which reminds me… why are the security cameras on this floor removed?_ His father was a man of perfection. There was no way that he could've missed out an entire floor, or even a single camera.

 _It's somebody's doings… presumably the identical person that carved the numbers on the floor._ He scanned the room – judging by how deserted it seemed, it obviously hadn't been in major use for quite a while – Izaya estimated about seven months. There was, however, electricity running in the room, as he could hear the cacophony of the auto fan blowing.

"A laptop…" He dragged himself around, reaching out for the device that was lying sideways on the floor. The male frowned. _**ID NUMBER: 0504.**_ "The same number…" Quietly muttering those words, Izaya blinked in confusion. "May 4th." The connection was easily made, once his mind was clear and empty of myriads of thoughts.

0504\. This number couldn't possibly be a coincidence. There was somebody behind this supportive plot – and they were hopefully, on his side. He turned the laptop on, that was thankfully functioning as it normally would. He entered in the password – both username and password were 0504.

 _If the system is connected with all other laptops, it means all laptops also have the ability to hijack the surveillance and security system. If I just figure out the right code to delete this file and replace it with something else…_ Rapidly scrolling down through the millions of files, Izaya's brain started running at the speed of light. Albeit being quite the sadistic crook, he was a prodigy. He relied on mere brainpower and skill. _It is likely that Shirou didn't plant his guards on certain stations, but created a simultaneous movement of various cameras so that his men can gather in one place at once when necessary. Therefore, if I can distract them my replacing the current camera screens with records of the old savings, then I can earn some time for my escape…_

His attention wholly focused on the screen, Izaya pressed [Enter], as the fifty-two rectangles of security cameras transformed into a totally different sight. It was his chance. He had to run – as fast as he could.

The aches and pain in his body resonated like a gentle tide at first, and then burst into a vicious tsunami that attempted to take his body over. His body felt feverish, as adrenaline began to run through his legs. His shirt that was no longer distinguishable as white was now soaking again with crimson, and his mind blanked out. His top priority was to escape, elude from this prison. One nanosecond wasted, and he might not make it.

Whipping his head around to search for the exit, Izaya swung his body around and dashed downstairs. He could make it. Nobody had discovered the odd positioning of the cameras, neither the fact that he had replaced them with the recordings made a year ago.

Everytime his foot came in contact with the floor, he had to resist a groan seeping out of his lips. His lungs were desperate for a need of decent amount of oxygen, but Izaya was merely desperate to discharge himself from this hell. He could withstand the pain. Blood loss was a matter he could seriously contemplate about once he got out.

Double glass doors entered his vision, as Izaya smirked. He made it. It was still night – he had been encaged for quite a while, after all. As soon as he slammed the doors open, an alarm went off – but Izaya cared less.

When he turned to his left, he saw a sign that read: _**"Welcome to the district of fun and entertainment, Shinjuku!"**_

"Shinjuku… huh. If I take the train it only takes about ten minutes… but I don't have money." Clucking his tongue, Izaya was glad it was midnight. With his current outlook, he would attract too much attention for his own good. Shinjuku to Ikebukuro was not far, only about five kilometers. It was a distance that was capable of walking. Of course, the challenge lied in the area of whether he would be captured and discovered by Shirou's men, or if he would faint of blood loss before anything happened.

 _I miss Shizu-chan…_ It was these times, where he felt weak. Reliance was helpful, only if your life wasn't meant to be solitary loneliness. Orihara Izaya had always been alone. He wasn't used to having a place where he could let his guard down completely, or meeting a person where they genuinely cared about his wellbeing. Shinra was one occurrence, and so was Celty, but they were a totally separate case from Shizuo's status. This Heiwajima Shizuo was special. He ruptured through his perfect façade, and embraced his flaws like they were the easiest problems to handle.

He dug his fingers into his scalp, massive amounts of pain returning to him. The ground felt so cold, so harsh, so cruel, which only resulted in an increase of craving for Shizuo's warmth. He was fully aware that he had no time to sit around and do nothing, but he couldn't help it.

His body instinctively flinched as he heard footsteps from behind. _Fuck… they already caught up?_ Lying flat on the ground, Izaya hid in a nearby alley. He had no other choice, as his legs were starting to give up at the pressure of gravity. Exhaustion felt like a powerful drug by itself, luring him to sleep.

"Hey, do you think we need to search this alley?"

 _Nope, just please go past._

"Well… it couldn't hurt to check."

 _Yeah, it won't hurt for you. For me, sure._

"Alright then."

Izaya sucked in a willful breath and muttered a soft curse. It was all over now. He was confined in this intoxicating vicinity, and his father was going to officially kill him. Not figuratively, but literally. He gradually forced his body on his feet, as the men came to pause in their movement.

"Boy, you sure gave us some trouble. Who allowed you to escape?" One of the men laughed impassively, as Izaya smirked.

"I wonder. Maybe the level of idiocy on how easily you let a high schooler break through your security system?" Ah, he hated how his sense of arrogance and humor just wouldn't die out, even in the worst of situations.

A tick mark appeared on the man's forehead, and Izaya knew shit was going to go down. "Now you got me." He cracked his knuckles – man, this guy was huge. He would've been happier being a volleyball player or something. But unfortunately, he was here ready to beat the fuck out of Izaya's ass.

His fist punctured his stomach. A cry rung out in the streets, as the other silent man that seemed to be the one that suggested the horrid idea of checking out the alley kicked his chin, sending Izaya's head upward. His body was screaming without a noise, and his ears were muffling out the sound of his own bellows. This was no longer mere pain, but torture.

"Ugh…" Coughs kept on coming, his whole mouth tasting like iron. His arms felt lifeless as they bent in an odd angle that Izaya didn't want to imagine. He almost felt senseless, as the men just continued to shower ruthless blows on his worn out body. Izaya was convinced that he was going to die – and if he was, he wished the death god made it quick.

"Shirou-sama wants you alive, but you kind of ticked me off awhile ago… so I'll just do one more kick and I'll be finished with you." The same man cackled with devilish mannerisms. Izaya's index finger twitched, as his eyes blurred, and refocused on the ground. He closed them reluctantly, waiting for the pain to come once again, and finish him off to eternal blackness.

"AGH!"

"Wha- "

The raven's eyes fluttered open at the sound. One man was down on the cement, his arms wrapped around his leg that appeared broken. The man that was trying to kick him was now being tackled on the ground, and thrown to the wall. The shadowy figure that saved him just looked too familiar to be true. Izaya didn't dare to blink, until his suspicions were confirmed.

"Don't you fucking dare touch him."

A stingy sensation crawled through his whole body, as he saw Heiwajima Shizuo, possessing the fiercest eyes he had ever seen, clenching his fists together. Gleams of sweat were sliding down his flesh – he probably had been running like mad, once again, just like that time he had got him out the house after Izaya's phone call.

"… Shizu… chan." He croaked his lover's name, as Shizuo's fiery orbs snapped towards his direction. Although Izaya knew that the anger was not for him, he was intimidated by the violent aura of the latter.

But Shizuo's expression softened, as if nothing happened, once he spotted Izaya on the ground. His hand gently placed Izaya's head on his lap, his right arm cradling the wounded body of his boyfriend. "I'll beat the sense out of you myself once you recover." Shizuo muttered, pulling Izaya closer to himself. "Why the fuck do you always worry the hell out of me…" Before the raven knew, Shizuo was desperately hugging Izaya, like a kid that was afraid that he would be stolen of his favorite toy.

"Shizu… chan…" The black-haired male chuckled. "You… worried? Aw, did… young Shizuo… cry?" His words were slow but still teasing otherwise. The only catch was that he didn't expect the absence of a response from the other male, as he just buried his head further into Izaya's shoulder, his arms tightening around the fragile figure. "… Shizuo?"

"Shut up." A growl tickled his skin. "I'm charging my battery."

Izaya was hesitant to answer that. "I'm not your personal charger… Shizuo. And answer my question."

"Why is that you suddenly become better at talking when you want something?" Grumbling, the blonde caressed his hair. "Yes, I was worried. Of course I was fucking worried. Everyone was. Kururi and Mairu were scared the shit out, and they came to us screaming and… yeah, it was fucking hell. Satisfied?"

"Haha… sounds like you. I –"

"Don't." Shizuo sucked in a deep breath, as Izaya paused, feeling the male's lips on the surface of his bloody shirt. "Don't disappear on me like that. I thought… I thought I was going to have a heart attack. You're a fucking idiot that just always tries to resolve all problems through your own willpower. I'm trying to help you out, but you never request for my assistance. Do you know how terrible it feels to have someone you love vanish after one night? I thought you were going to die, after how much Kururi and Mairu were frantically explaining the situation and your condition before they fled the area, and –"

"Shizuo." Izaya put his hand carefully on Shizuo's head, as the blonde panted for air. "I'm sorry." When the Heiwajima didn't reply, the raven went on. "I bet sorry wouldn't cut it, but I am really sorry. You know it wasn't my intention to make this situation direr than it already is. It's just… I didn't want to involve your family in further trouble –"

"That's exactly the annoying thing I'm talking about." Shizuo cut him off. "It's fucking okay to get me in some trouble, Izaya. I'm a fucking monster like you said this whole year, and it's not like that's gonna change. I'm not going to die off that easily, Izaya, unlike you."

Although the Orihara knew perfectly well that this wasn't timing to be offended, he was, anyway. It felt as if he was being underestimated, despite the fact that Shizuo was indeed correct.

That was when Shizuo decided that he made up his mind, and carried Izaya in his arms, the ideal way girls wanted to be transported by their boyfriends – the bridal style. Unfortunately, this usually wasn't the ideal way boys wanted to be treated, wounded or not. "Shizuo, put me down." Izaya hissed, but Shizuo ignored him quite skillfully.

"With your legs, I doubt you can even limp." He remarked, and Izaya couldn't argue to that. "Let's go home, Izaya. Everyone's waiting."

And finally, peace arrived.

* * *

"How is he?"

"Out gone like a dead man. The moment I washed his injuries and wrapped his bruises, he dropped to the bed and just slept."

The youthful males and fathers were all gathered at the Kishitani's household. The parents all came to a conclusion that this particular location was safer than the Heiwajima's, as Shingen could request for support from his organization in the States. Kichirou also held some connection with massive companies in Japan, due to his occupation in Bar Hibiscus.

"That boy," Kichirou shook his head, as he lighted a cigarette, "is better at worrying people than his father."

Emilia opened the windows. Shingen slumped down on the couch and grinned. "Oh, Shirou was easy. His father passed away during his second year of high school, anyway. Luckily enough, his mother left a great deal of money to his name in her will, and so did his father, as he had no other heir."

"Speaking of Orihara Shirou… I need to consult something with you personally, dad." Shinra cleared his throat, as Celty stopped wandering around the room. Shingen frowned underneath his oxygen mask.

"My, my, does my son have girl problems already? Which one did you get pregnant now?"

"Dad, I did not impregnate another woman. This is serious business."

Shingen stared at his son, and then stood up from the couch.

"Then, serious business it is."

It was going to be a long fight… the one that was out first lost.

* * *

 **A/N: I know it's pretty short compared the other chapters, but I'm sorry, I really didn't have enough time for anything, so I just crammed in as many words as I could.**

 **Please leave some words of support… I need inspiration right now.**

 **Copper Nitrate**


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